Old VHS tapes

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cyberrich
cyberrich Posts: 8 Forumite
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What can I do with my old vhs tapes? I donated all the officially made tapes to a charity shop, but what can i do with the blank ones I have? I have about 200. Will the rag and bone men/scrap merchants that drive around the neighbourhood take them?
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  • phatbear
    phatbear Posts: 4,032 Forumite
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    rag and bone men trade in scrap metal so why would they be interested in old vhs tapes?


    just chuck em in the bin a few at a time or get them down the local tip
    Live each day like its your last because one day you'll be right
  • Spidernick
    Spidernick Posts: 3,803 Forumite
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    I'm amazed you found a charity shop that would take video tapes to be honest - I haven't for years, so ended up chucking all mine out!
    'I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my father. Not screaming and terrified like his passengers.' (Bob Monkhouse).

    Sky? Believe in better.

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  • thescouselander
    thescouselander Posts: 5,542 Forumite
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    People will buy any old rubbish. Why not put them on eBay for a penny and see who bites.
  • EachPenny
    EachPenny Posts: 12,239 Forumite
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    thescouselander wrote: »
    People will buy any old rubbish. Why not put them on eBay for a penny and see who bites.

    Just make sure the tapes don't contain any 'home movies' first though ;)

    Many councils have collection facilities at household 'recycling' centres (dumps) for things like VHS tapes, it would be worth checking your local council's website for details if you don't want to go down the ebay route.
    "In the future, everyone will be rich for 15 minutes"
  • Le_Kirk
    Le_Kirk Posts: 22,312 Forumite
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    You could try Freecycle or Freegle or whatever it is called in your area.
  • no1catman
    no1catman Posts: 2,972 Forumite
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    Do you still have the VHS player? Does it work? Why not use them? Granted they are wider than DVDs, but they still have some advantages - easier to stock and restart in the same place.

    It is an option.
    I used to work for Tesco - now retired - speciality Clubcard
  • TheCyclingProgrammer
    TheCyclingProgrammer Posts: 3,702 Forumite
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    Not sure they can be recycled, so down to the tip with them.
  • Ectophile
    Ectophile Posts: 7,331 Forumite
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    Charities don't seem to want VHS tapes any more. I tried giving some away on Freecycle, with no success.

    So now, I just put the cases in the recycling, and dump the tapes in the bin.
    If it sticks, force it.
    If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.
  • Art_Deco
    Art_Deco Posts: 188 Forumite
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    Lets hope they bring back VCRs in the not to distant future like they have record players ,I for one am sick of not being able to play discs because they have the slightest mark/scratch on them , I would have gladly still used my old VCR if it hadnt stopped working after about 20 years and the tapes went on forever being erased and reused no problem.
  • Annie1960
    Annie1960 Posts: 3,002 Forumite
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    The boxes from pre-recorded VHS tapes are useful for storage, so you could keep these for your bits and pieces (make-up, first aid kit, DIY and crafting materials, seeds etc).

    The tapes themselves are not currently recycled, so they will need to go into landfill, unless, as suggested above, someone from Freecycle wants them.

    People do use the tape to tie around newly-planted seedlings to scare the birds away, so you could advertise them free to gardeners.
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