How can I reuse or recycle plastic VHS video cases?
We’ve covered on VHS cassettes before but now Suzy has emailed asking about their now redundant solid cases:
I have some old vhs tape cases. The cases are made of a plastic shell to hold the video that is glued to a cardboard outer layer with the artwork printed on it.
I’ve pulled apart several of the cases and recycled the cardboard, but now I’m left with a stack of plastic shells (most with glue residue on the back).
Is it possible to recycle this plastic? I don’t see any recycling symbols but I’d hate to just throw them away!
There must be thousands and thousands of these things kicked about as people dumped their old videos. So any suggestions for recycling or reusing them?
(Photo by Suzy – thanks Suzy!)
I use one as a paperback book holder when I travel. Stops the book cover form getting ripped and wrinkled in the suitcase.
I use a nice green, ‘Bugs Life’ one as a pencil case ;)
if its unmarked, store valuables in them in plain site, there really isn’t any money in vhs any more, so if your house was robbed.
glue them shut for small children to use as blocks.
I like the book idea,
Take them on a camping trip or boating trip, they’ll float and they’ll be water resistant.
decorate them pretty and use them to “wrap” gifts in.
store all your warrenties in them, they’re easy to file on a shelf.
give them to kids for trinket boxes.
great storage for kids stuff, stickers, pencils, crayons, etc…
fill them with beans, rice, etc, seal them and make instruments for kids.
let kids make a “time capsule” bury it in your flower garden or yard.
use it as an on the go jewelry box, they’ll keep every thing together in your suitcase.
store small candles in them, great camping idea to keep the wicks dry.
paint them like dominoes and make designs to fall…
oh yeah, you could store pictures in them too.
I used to use mine as pencil boxes!
Tape 2 or 3 together, perhaps cover them, and use them as blocks for the kids or as ‘yoga blocks’ that you sit on. Or fill them with stones or sand and use them as light weights to work out with. Nigello
Toss them on the campfire – they make pretty colored flames!!
use them to store old vhs tapes in
If you have a small local library, ask them if they’d like a donation of VHS cases, when I worked at a library we could really have used some extras =)
If you have an olf-fashioned APS-camera, the cases make good containers for the film spools.
side your house with them
I chick made a purse out of one once, i thought it looked pretty neat.
I like to use mine to keep videos in
If someone needs more of them, ask local Blockbuster.
Hello, I recycle these boxes as part of a roof I made out of Video tapes. I used them to finish of the sides of the roof. You can see some pictures here: http://www.maximalisme.be/the_chelter_of_the_dump.htm
Wow!
I’m impressed! I don’t think that I would have thought to use the tapes this way. How is it surviving the weather?
I really like the added touch of one red cassette in the midst of all the black cassettes.
Remove pages from an old book, and glue the cases inside the cover. You can hide valuables right on your bookshelf, and no one will suspect. Incidentally, I am looking to buy video cases for this very project. Want to sell some? Please contact me at bdcirkles@hotmail.com if you can spare about 10 cases.