Yesterday at the Farmer's Market here in Cedar Rapids, someone asked how to recycle VHS tapes. This is a bit of a challenge because the older technology is in much less demand.
If the tapes are movies, the quickest and easiest solution is to donate them to an organization such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army who will resell them. From my experience, the only movies that you might be able to sell yourself are Disney movies. If you are having a garage sale anyway (don't have one just to sell these tapes), you could price them for sale. Craigs List is an option for selling or giving away. Freecycle. org is another option for giving away.
All the suggestions to this point involve reusing rather than recycling. If you have VHS tapes where you have taped programs or family movies on your own, these are more difficult to reuse and less people want them. Recyling them becomes the better option.
Upon some research, I have learned there is a company in Missouri that erases the tapes, sells the ones that are good and recycles the plastic of the others. You can send your tapes to them at ACT, 2200 Burlington, Columbia, Missouri 65202. Their website is www.ACTRecycling.org. If you go to their website, they do have a donation form and it appears the donations are tax deductible.
Becky Esker is a certified professional organizer, national speaker, owner of Get Organized! L.L.C., and the forthcoming author of a new organizing book. Becky and her team provide hands-on services to those in the greater eastern Iowa area and also provide a wide array of products and service to businesses and individuals nationwide through their website. For more information access www.TheOrganizingChoice.com, www.SecondGOAroundAuctions.com; www.ItsSimplySerendipity.com; and www.OutstandingSeminars.com
