Even though they haven’t been widespread for years, many of us still have boxes or shelves of VHS tapes somewhere in our houses, not doing much except taking up space. Is it time to toss them into the trash? Allow us to explain why you shouldn’t throw away your old VHS tapes because of their environmental impact, possible future value, and more!
Harmful to the Environment
If you’re thinking of tossing your VHS and Betamax tapes into the trash and forgetting about them, we urge you to reconsider on behalf of the environment. VHS tapes are also known as magnetic media, as they can contain materials like chromium.
If VHS or Betamax tapes are in a landfill, those harmful chemicals can seep out and contaminate local soil or water. Instead, find a recycling service nearby that will take them if you’re insistent on throwing them away.
Could Have Future Value
It may seem strange, but there could be a future market for vintage and original VHS and Betamax tapes. It wasn’t too long ago that vinyl records were considered technological dinosaurs and would have no future use or value.
Now, vinyl is back on the rise, and vintage collections are worth much more. Maybe in another 10 years, your VHS tapes will become a prized collection, just like vinyl records!
What You Should Do With Old VHS Tapes
So you don’t want to throw your VHS tapes away, but what can you do with them? Plenty! Here are some popular uses for old VHS tapes you can try!
Turn Them Into a DIY Crafts Project
People love to upcycle old and seemingly useless things into fun and creative projects, and a favorite material of many is VHS tapes! That’s right; there are numerous things you can craft with a collection of VHS tapes, including:
- Tables
- Plant Holders
- Lamps
- Storage cases
- And more!
Organize & Label Videos
Do you have a box full of VHS home movies you haven’t watched in years? Instead of throwing them away, organize and label your video collection so that you know what’s on each tape. It’ll allow you to watch all your old videos again and label them for easy future use.
Covert Them Into Digital
If you want to recycle your VHS tapes but don’t want to throw away precious family memories, you can have it both ways by converting them to digital! You can convert videos to digital and store them on a cloud storage service in no time at all for an affordable price.
Once you’ve stored your videos in the cloud, you can throw away your old videos and still have safe and secure digital copies. They’ll last as long as you want and are much easier to access and share!
There are many reasons why you shouldn’t throw away your old VHS tapes, from protecting the environment to holding onto tapes for future value. Even if you need to throw them away, get them digitally converted to hang on to those dear family memories!
