How to Dispose of VHS Tapes

VHS cassettes and other magnetic recording media are becoming obsolete. Disposal presents environmental and health issues that cannot be ignored. Tossing old videos into the garbage is not an option. With effort, it is still possible to renew, refresh and recycle salvageable videocassettes while responsibly disposing of those that are no longer useful.

Instructions

• 1

  Collect the VHS tapes and sort them into four piles:
  1. Tapes to sell (hard-to-find or one-of-a-kind movies, travelogues or documentaries)
  2. Tapes to donate (movies in good condition or blank, unused tapes)
  3. Tapes to convert to digital media (homemade videos or taped historic events)
  4. Tapes to trash (tapes that are in poor condition)

• 2

  Advertise the tapes you want to sell on websites like Ebay or Amazon.com, or look in the yellow pages for used bookstores that buy, sell or trade VHS media. Anything left after 2 weeks goes into the "tapes to donate" pile.

• 3

  Contact local libraries, schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, senior centers and other organizations to see if they accept and can use VHS tapes. Some organizations will not accept VHS tapes because they are considered hazardous waste. Anything that cannot be donated goes into the "tapes to trash" pile.

• 4

  Look online or in the local telephone directory to find companies that convert VHS tapes to DVDs and other digital media. Consider buying a VCR-to-PC Videocassette Tape to PC Digital Converter and doing the conversion yourself. Tapes that have been converted go into the "tapes to trash" pile.

• 5

  Do not throw videocassette tapes into the garbage can. VCR tapes contain materials that are not biodegradable and are hazardous to human health and the environment if not disposed of properly. Contact your local health department, environmental agency, recycling center or landfill to find out where to take your "tapes to trash" for proper disposal. Greendisk.com provides VHS disposal services for a fee.