By George Mtandao
Published February 20, 2014
Many people have video tapes cluttering up their homes in one place or another. This article suggests what you can do with them now that we are all using DVDs and other ways to watch films and other recordings. Do you remember when the video recorder was seen to be a huge advance in technology?
Unfortunately it isn’t the case any more. Lots of people watch DVDs and even watch programmes live on their computers or tablets today; this means there is no longer any call for video tapes. The only downside to this is the huge pile of video tapes that are now left behind and that no one seems to know what to do with.
So what can you do with yours? Well, it is sometimes possible to donate them to charity shops, although not all of them accept video tapes anymore. As it all depends on the individual shop, it makes sense to consider whether you want to go down this route. The best bet is to ask in each store whether they take the tapes beforehand instead of turning up with armfuls of them in the hope they will take them.
Another option is to look in your local paper. Some people still sell them at boot fairs and look for stock wherever they can get it. Others will request specific types of video cassettes and will pay good prices for them. This tends to apply more to older and rarer films instead of those that are very common, but it is worth a look if your collection tends to fall into that category.
Of course not all VHS tapes have television programmes and films on them. Some may have old family events you have filmed on a camcorder. If you find any of these videos in your collection, set them to one side. You can get a VHS to DVD transfer done that will ensure the old films are preserved.
It was possible to record things directly off the television onto VHS tapes. This meant the tapes could all look very similar to each other. If they are not properly labelled check their contents prior to doing anything with them. This might preserve one or two more that will be ideal for the VHS to DVD transfer process.
However if you are more creative you might be able to put some of those tapes to good use in other ways instead. For example, some people grab a selection of the tapes and glue them together to make boxes. These are ideal for growing plants in and add a quirky and practical edge to your garden. They are also pretty weatherproof and make for a quick and free selection of pots you can use throughout the year.
Among other ideas people have come up with you can find clocks made from VHS tapes, photo frames made from old video boxes, and storage boxes for the wall with four tapes making up each one. As you can see, imagination could stand between you and ditching loads of video tapes. You may not find ways to use them all, but you could find ways to use some at least.
