Eclectic Homes

Lose It: CDs, DVDs, Cassettes and VHS tapes

As we continue to get our audio and music on the internet, we develop from an increasing number of types of technology. That the CD was the press storage solution of the long run. Now, it is becoming nearly as obsolete since VHS and cassettes. While streamlining your stuff makes for a more ecofriendly potential, what can you really do with your leftover tapes and CDs when you are done?

While plastic casings and covers can at times be recycled, the CDs themselves and the tape in VHS and cassette tapes requires a special recycling procedure. It might require a little additional work, getting the excess crap out of your house and rescue it from filling landfills and polluting air and water is a fairly wonderful benefit.

Use It!

Unfortunately, aside from re-watching and listening to them, there are not many practical applications for worn out VHS tapes, cassette tapes, CDs, and DVDs. There are some quirky crafts for things beyond repair, however your best choice for tapes and CDs that nevertheless work would be to give them. Odds are there’s somebody out there who will believe that your trash is an absolute treasure.

Give them to the Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or the Alternative Community Training organization. ACT provides work for handicapped people who work on erasing and repacking donated VHS tapes, cassette tapes, and floppy disks. Usually tapes still in good shape following erasing are resold, whereas the plastic portions of the rest are recycled.

Give them to the local library or school if the content is applicable. Some schools will also utilize cassette tape for crafts (there’s a rumor that it creates great puppet hair).

Try giving them away on Craigslist or even Freecycle. You would be amazed by how many people would jump at the chance to get a bit of music/media history.

When you have a particularly impressive collection, try selling them on eBay or Amazon.

Lose It!

VHS and cassette tapes:
Check with your town’s recycling guidelines. Some cities will allow you to recycle the plastic casing with the tape taken out, which means you can throw them in your recycling bin.

Mail things in to GreenDisk, Back Thru The Future, or Nationwide Recycle by Mail. Each company has different shipping rules and regulations, but provide easy options that you mail in your old VHS and cassette tapes, and have them disposed of correctly.

CDs and DVDs: Much like VHS and cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs will need to be recycled at special facilities. Most of these discs contain aluminum, lacquer, gold, dyes, glass, silver, and nickel — one of other harmful substances and substances. Throwing them from the garbage or recycling can be harmful. A number of the facilities that procedure VHS and cassette tapes will also procedure CDS or even DVDs.

The CD Recycling Center of Americahas a record of places where you are able to mail in small quantities of DVDs and CDs — along with their jewel boxes — such as processing. For bigger quantities of disks, there’s a separate collection of facilities nationwide where you can fall off boxes and boxes of old CDs and DVDs.

When you have a fantastic collection, try selling them on eBay or Amazon — you’d be amazed by how much people will pay to get a CD of some vague’80s band.

More Use It or Lose It tips:
Lose ItWhat To Do With Leftover Building Materials
Lose It: The Way to Get Rid of a Mattress
Lose It4 Ways to Get Rid of Your Carpet

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