Recycling old DV Tapes (trash recycle!) at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > The Tools of DV and HD Production > The Long Black Line

The Long Black Line
Tape, tape and more tape; and decks; HDV, DV, VHS and more.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old September 30th, 2008, 08:08 AM   #1
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 2,231
Recycling old DV Tapes (trash recycle!)

Does anubody know what I can do with my mountain of used mini-DV tapes?

I would rather not throw them away, but can not find any recycle place that lists tapes.

Thanks
Tim Polster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 30th, 2008, 11:14 AM   #2
Major Player
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Piper City, IL
Posts: 350
I've never even considered throwing mine away. I have every tape I've ever shot in storage. I'm planning on keeping them pretty much forever.
Philip Gioja is offline   Reply With Quote
Old September 30th, 2008, 11:32 AM   #3
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,699
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Polster View Post
Does anubody know what I can do with my mountain of used mini-DV tapes?

I would rather not throw them away, but can not find any recycle place that lists tapes.
In the UK there's CVA as one example (a google search throws up others) and this gives some of the detail behind the recycling - The Science Of Video Tape Recycling - Creative Video Associates (CVA) - for recycling, used and new video tape .

Generally, they are MORE reliable than new, the evaluation process discards any with faults, and the ones that pass have been positively evaluated as good.
David Heath is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 1st, 2008, 11:47 AM   #4
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 2,231
Thanks for the link.

Are there any places in the US that would take the tapes for recycling?

I don't need them back, just trying not to put them into a landfill.
Tim Polster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 1st, 2008, 01:09 PM   #5
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Apple Valley CA
Posts: 4,874
sell 'em on eBay... run a bulk tape erase if there's any incriminating stuff <wink>, otherwise "one pass" recorded tapes still bring decent $$. A buck to a buck and a half per tape last time I was some listed.
Dave Blackhurst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 10th, 2008, 04:23 PM   #6
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Posts: 28
newbie question

Do you use a tape for one shoot, or do you re use? If re use, how many times seems to be average?

Thanks.
Petra Alsbach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 30th, 2009, 09:33 AM   #7
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Memphis, TN
Posts: 118
Just wanted to refresh this thread and see if anyone knows of a place to take tapes to be recycled in the US? I'd rather not see my mountain of now obsolete VHS tapes end up in a landfill.
Edward Phillips is offline   Reply With Quote
Old July 5th, 2009, 02:15 AM   #8
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Posts: 1,538
Not an actual reply with useful information - but I applaud your spirit.

I did an article for Videomaker years back about fun tape facts and one of them was that at the peak of VHS production - enough VHS tape was manufactured wordwide in one year (1999?) to reach from the earth to the moon and back something like six and a half times.

Yikes!
Bill Davis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 12th, 2009, 08:01 AM   #9
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Willmar, MN
Posts: 1,400
You can donate them to GreenDisk. The tapes will be degaussed and provided to local police and other civic and governmental organizations for use in surveillance systems.

If you're looking for a place that will take your video tapes and recycle them into plastic bottles and playground equipment - you would be more ecologically friendly to throw them in the trash. Recycling a complex multi-material product like a video tape is cost prohibitive and consumes far more energy and resources than simply making them from new materials.
Chris Davis is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > The Tools of DV and HD Production > The Long Black Line

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:21 PM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network