Everything you need to know about recycling video and audio tapes
Video and Audio Tapes includes:
Cassette Tapes
VHS Tapes
Videos
Cassettes
FIND A RECYCLER
Learn more about reusing and recycling tapes
How to recycle tapes
Video and audio tapes are non-biodegradable and can persist in landfill indefinitely, adding to the growing e-waste problem. A number of companies in Australia offer recycling services for video and audio tapes with their cases and there are also some repair services for videos. However, most will likely only accept commercial quantities and will not accept small amounts from households. Use the directory on this page to see if there is a recycler near you.
Why recycle?
All types of audio and video cassette tapes can be recycled. This allows the recovery of valuable resources such as polycarbonate (a type of plastic) for reuse in the manufacture of new plastics products. It also diverts e-waste from landfill where it will persist indefinitely.
What happens to them?
Repair: There is potential for videos to be restored or for the content to be saved and transferred to CD or DVD for storage.
Recycling: The recycling process involves separating the various plastic components of these media, which is then granulated and recycled. The plastic cases are recycled with other plastics and the paper are given to paper recyclers for processing. The recovered plastics are used for manufacturing a wide variety of products.
