Many of us have boxes of old VHS cassettes taking up space in our attics or garages. The problem with keeping those items in our home is that they will not suddenly disappear even if we leave them alone for a very long time.
VHS and cassette tapes sure are not new technologies. Manufacturers have even stopped producing them for more than a decade. Still, people don’t know how to recycle them.
Many keep them in boxes gathering dust or getting them sent to landfills, which is worse and detrimental to the ecosystem. As we all know, landfills are the leading source of man-made methane, which is far more potent and dangerous than carbon dioxide.
Although it is difficult, it’s really possible to clean out those containers and recycle your old cassettes. Contacting a tape recycling company is one of the easiest options.
You can go to Green Citizen if you live in the San Francisco Bay area. This is an environmental conservation firm that provides this type of service to both commercial and private customers.
One advantage of choosing Green Citizen’s service is that you will put in very little effort. You may either schedule a pickup or send the old tapes directly to them, and they will handle the rest.
Obviously, because this is a business, there will be a cost for this service.
GreenDisk is another company that provides a comparable service. The key difference with this company is that they provide a full-service option that includes containers and shipping, which is more advantageous if you are a recurring customer.
If you don’t want to spend any money, finding a recycling center or program in your neighborhood may be a better choice.
VHS and cassette tapes are often not accepted by curbside recycling. At the same time, finding ones with a tape recycling program may require some digging, but you should be able to discover at least one.
Look for municipalities that have e-waste initiatives. They accept electronic devices in general for recycling. Therefore you can recycle any old VHS and cassette records at their facility.
It is critical to ask about how to prepare the tapes for recycling. If you think you might want to keep something, make a digital backup of it first.
Ultimately, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you may try to sell some of those old tapes! If the tapes are in good shape and count as a collectible, you should have no trouble finding a buyer.
