What is the best way to recycle old VHS videotapes and cassette tapes? I do not want to keep the content. Is there someone who will safely recycle all the components? Albert
Dear Albert,
Ah techno trash. A phrase that pretty much sums up the ‘90s for me – floppy disks with term papers, hours and hours of movies with friends, remembering to set the VCR to record Friends, and endless nights dancing to thumping bass and incredible remixes.
But now what to do with all that techno trash? It seems like tapes and cases should be recyclable along with the rest of our plastics, but most recycling centers do not accept them.
Plastic Recycling Inc. will accept VHS tapes, cassette tapes, jewel cases and a whole lot more at their 2015 S. Pennsylvania St. office. The catch is that their hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and they don’t have a collection bin outside. However, they often receive box-loads of plastics by mail. Tapes and the like are disassembled, then shredded and turned into whatever form of plastic their customers need.
I also discovered Com 2, a recycler in Carol Stream, IL. Many of their drop-off locations are at Goodwill stores, which means that Goodwill can choose to sell your old VHS of Dirty Dancing or send it to Com 2 for recycling.
Now that we can access movies and music through digital magic, sometimes I wish we could just rewind over the years of tapes. Or perhaps fast forward to the next great invention in technology…
Got a “green” question? Ask Renee! Just email askrenee@indianalivinggreen.com.
Personal Loans