I donated VHS movies many years ago.

I had home movies on VHS that I have dubbed onto DVD. They were the only tapes I really cared about. Those tapes we thought would last forever? Did not last 10 years.

To donate them, you'd have to find somewhere that has a VHS player. Maybe an underfunded old folks home somewhere, but not likely. And it's very possible they may have degraded and aren't playable anyway. Your good intentions may be for naught, these may be landfill bound.

Same problem in the IT world, TG. Data storage in old formats or for use with obsolete hardware is useless because the equipment to utilize them is no longer made and may not be available.

Check with your local landfill, maybe they can be recycled instead of going into the landfill.

Are they blank or have movies on them? If they are movies, not home recorded, but the regular movies which people buy, check with your local used bookstore, maybe at your library. Our bookstore sells them (mostly kids, Disney type stuff). They go for 50 cents each and sell slowly, but they do sell eventually. It's possible even a thrift shop would take them, Sal Army or Goodwill.

Raise your hand if you have a VHS player connected to your TV. I don't and I'm not sure I can remember the last time I saw one.

Hand raised. Years ago, I specifically bought a VCR/DVD combo unit to play commercial VCR movies that are not available in any other format.

the company that still made VCR players rolled the last one off of the assembly line in China in December

Remember having a player mangle the tape of a movie you were watching or something you recorded and were finally getting to watch? I don't miss those tape eating machines but was grateful to be able to see a taped show whenever back then.

My eighty-seven year old neighbor still has hers and will not part with it. Mostly she records on it. So I saved our old machine for her, surprised she has not needed it before now. A while back, she could not find blank tapes so I ordered some for her. Don't know if there are many like her out there, but you might donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army just in case.

Hand raised, too! I have an old combo VHS/DVD player, too. Yes, occasionally watch an old VHS which still works just fine.

*hand raised*

I actually do have a working VCR connected to an old CRT TV in my basement, which may be why the relative thought we would appreciate/want the VHS's.

I keep it hooked up and use it to view things I haven't found on DVD, such as the live action performance of Peter Pan with Mary Martin in the lead role that was on NBC, I think. I also have my original Nintendo hooked up with my favorite games, including Duck Hunt which will only work on an old CRT TV.

These cassettes are movies, mostly late 80s to late 90s popular movies, all of which I already own in some other format.

I have no problem keeping outdated storage formats for media (VHS and cassette tapes, records, slides and a projector, etc.) if I have no other easily attainable method of getting the data.

But these are, by and large, easily obtainable movies like "When Harry Met Sally", or "Beauty and the Beast".

Elmer- I am quite well aware of the problems within the IT world as my husband lives it. I constantly wrestle with the "inner hippie" as I call it that is concerned with the environment and hates to see things sent to a landfill and the practical side of "there is literally no one who wants this crap!!"

Bengardening- thanks for the reminder that they just stopped making VCRs. I should probably find a backup unit for when mine quits working.

I know that the Goodwill nearest to me still sells movies on VHS, and apparently sells quite a lot of them. They would probably take blank VHS tapes as well.

Yes goodwill, salvation army and many thrift stores sell them. Donate to one of those.

Sell on ebay

We still have the ability to watch VHS and just did over Easter. I will keep my collection of movies until the players break. I was sorely disappointed to discover that my homemade tapes i.e. wedding,kids growing up, holidays were degrading. So much for "forever" memories!! Many places take them...not sure if anyone is buying them from those places. I still search for the odd Hollywood musical from back in the day.

Yes, donate them to a thrift shop. I frequent garage sales, flea markets and thrift shops and I always see people buying these. If you give them away, you will have some people wanting them. Do you have a freecycle or free stuff on facebook for your area? They will definitely take them at the thrift shops though. Do not hesitate to donate them. I know people that keep a vcr and love having these old movies.

New, still in box. A Toshiba DVD/VHS Recorder/Player was inherited from MIL. We donated the entire setup to Goodwill.

Converters are available to connect a VCR to RCA to HDMI to Smart TV.

Hand raised. Still have my VHS player, along with the DVD player. Bites to have to buy new copies of things.

I just learned that my local library will make DVD copies of home movies... I have two of those, so I should scoot them over before they degrade... if they haven't already...

I still have 6 VHS players, including 3 that are VHS/DVD combo machines. I got rid of most of my 400 VHS tapes, but there are still a few here that I want to dub to DVD when I get a chance.

Queen Pack Rat here also has a 486 computer (1994 model)--it still works, and I keep it because it has some of the most fun games ever (mainly Cosmos, Lemmings, and Jazz Jackrabbit). I also have a like-new Atari.

I have 3 vhs players here. Two are combo units. I dont play regular movies, but, I do have a lot of kids movies,that the great grandkids love to watch, so mine get played regularly. I probably use them more than the cd/dvd players. I also at one time, had a camera and took a lot of videos in that format of all sorts of different things, and its fun to sit sometimes in the evening and watch some of those old videos. I have some that are well over 20yrs old and they still work perfectly.

Go to earth911.com, click on the recycle ♻️ enter your zip code and they will show you where to send or take them.

About five years ago a lady advertised for a TV/VHS combo which I still had and hadn't used it in years , just taking up space and gathering dust. Needless to say, I called her right away and she came and picked it up...for free of course. She said she had a lot of kids movies /cartoons and wanted to show grandkids. I was thankful to get rid of it and she was happy to get it!

Thrift stores throw away an awful lot of stuff. I would list on freecycle or craigslist.

One of the charity stores I frequent sells them for $1 each and I do see people buying.

My friend from Mexico always wants to visit thrift stores here to look for VHS tapes. One of the things she buys is old exercise tapes. She has a ballet studio and also teaches dance to professional athletes to increase their coordination and muscle memory for novel motions that may come up in their sport. She likes to find novel approaches to stretch, sustained poses, overall body movement, and specific muscle exercise. The US has produced tons of these and there seems to be something newish on every tape....For tan easy way to dispose of them, donate them.

Well, something gets learned every day. We chucked our last player maybe 10 years ago but I see many of you still find use for yours. Or maybe not but haven't tossed them yet. VHS video isn't HD quality, that alone makes them less desirable. But, to each his own.

I am surprised so many people raised hands, ha. We tossed ours eons ago. I understand feeling of not wanting to send stuff to land fill but please also consider the effort it takes volunteers at donation centers to sift thru old electronics. Figuring out if they work, if setup is complete, maintaining inventory, etc. If it is a nightmare for an individual to keep equipment and cords, multiply x hundreds given to donation center in the name of not sending to landfill. Don't know how putting trash in the trash became politically incorrect.

i would make a slight effort, like posting somewhere but if no response within a week, I'd chunk it, guilt free.

As marylmi said, lots of people like them for the children's programs-you can entertain kids forever for very few (if any) dollars.

My feeling is... the player still works, replacing the VCR tapes with DVD's costs money. When the player breaks down, I'll triage and only replace the best VHS tapes with DVD's. Or maybe I'll figure out how to copy them over myself, before that happens. But that's supposedly illegal. I also have at least one VHS tape that has never been released on DVD, and I enjoy it.

Unless I misread, TX_Gem was talking about items "she doesn't know what to do with them". She wasn't talking about the stuff you let your kids and grands mess with (smart!!!), or anything one enjoys in some way or another. Trash doesn't necessarily means smelly or broken. It can also mean stuff that weighs heavily on your mind with zero satisfaction. Even bad spouses have been taken to the curb....

When my VHS player died and I replaced it with a DVD player I was amazed how many of my neighbors wanted the tapes. I got rid of most of them that way.

It is the home recording tapes that I can't find a use for. No recycling center will take them, and unfortunately most of the thrift shops here won't even take the commercially recorded one anymore either.

It seems that the plastic case should be recyclable even if the tape itself isn't.

The less that goes into the landfill, the less soon it will have to be expanded at taxpayer expense (and the less good farmland will be consumed by trash)