As much as some wish the 90’s had never ended, unfortunately video technology does not come back like clothing styles. If you have boxes or even entire closets full of old video tapes, you are not alone. Video tapes still pile up in many homes and businesses, but the technology to view them is dying, and the quality of the tapes does not last forever. In fact, video tapes can easily become unwatchable as the tape inside them deteriorates, leaving their content vulnerable and sometimes lost forever.
The question is: what should you do with old video tapes? If you happen to have video tapes you don’t care much about, you can always recycle or reuse them. You could throw them away, but keep in mind they will likely end up in a landfill for generations.
If, though, you have video tapes that contain some of your favorite or most cherished memories, you should consider converting those video tapes to digital files or DVD for safekeeping. If you’re wondering what to do with your old video tapes, read on for three popular options.
1. Recycle 
An earth-friendly option is to find a way to recycle your old video tapes, rather than just throwing them away. Unfortunately, video tapes are difficult to break down and recycle. Since each video tape contains multiple parts, recycling centers need to take them apart to recycle the individual materials. However, the plastic outer shell of video tapes will sit in landfills for thousands of years and will never be able to biodegrade, so finding a way to recycle them might still be worth the effort.
Earth 911 is a great resource when searching for places that will take hard-to-recycle materials. Simply visit the website, enter your zip code, and search for a recycling center. Some centers may charge a small fee for items like video tapes because of the cost of recycling them, but again, the cost is usually worth it to work on saving the planet one plastic cover at a time.
2. Reuse
Another great option is to reuse your old video tapes in creative ways. You can take them apart yourself and make art with them, create your own video tape wall with your favorites, or find some other fantastic way to display them long after they’ve lost their viewing potential.
Also keep in mind that some people still collect old video tapes, so you could consider selling them online or hosting a yard/garage sale. Of course, you should probably avoid selling your home videos and family memories to complete strangers, but some of your taped shows and films might be fun collectors’ items. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure!
3. Convert
Still, if you do have video tapes that contain precious memories of family and friends or important events, the best option is to convert those video tapes to digital files or DVDs. Converting video tapes allows you to preserve the memories in a safer, more convenient-to-watch format. This way, you can get rid of the stacks and rows of video tapes you have stored without losing the footage along with them.
Professional companies like Current Pixel have the experience and updated technology to convert your video tapes to digital files and DVDs for you, giving you peace of mind. At Current Pixel specifically, your video tapes will always be digitized by our staff, and the job will never be outsourced to a third party. Once you have your video tapes saved to digital files or DVD, you will have access to them much more easily and even be able to quickly and conveniently share the memories with family and friends.
So if you’re wondering what to do with your old video tapes, take heart: you have options. Recycle, reuse, or convert video tapes to digital files or DVDs. The greatest news is that you can absolutely save the memories stored on those video tapes by digitizing them – just make sure to contact a professional company like Current Pixel to convert those tapes and your memories as carefully and efficiently as possible.
