Old VHS tapes that you never watch

Many folks have stacks of VHS tapes hanging around their homes collecting dust. I know my parents have bookshelves & cabinets full, but I don't know when they'll ever want to get rid of them. I think it's just one of those things that we plan to tackle one of these days! Now's as good of a time as any....

Just like disposing of secondhand books, donating is the easiest and most feelgood option. When I lived on Main Street in Beacon, I'd regularly contribute to the "free" corner, next to the entrance of the municipal parking lot next to Fox Antiques & Brother's Trattoria. The stuff would either be gone within an hour or a day. More legit options (see again - secondhand books post) are the local thrift shops & yard sales. Others - craigslist is a great resource for spreading the word about free stuff. There's even ads for free stuff that has been left on the sidewalk for the taking! We have an active local FreeCycle group, too. The Dutchess County Freecycle group has a lot of activity, and I recognize some friends there. Awesome! Registering for the group is difficult, but well worth it.

If you're looking to stick them in a box, and mail them out of here, there are options. When I research recyclers, I'm looking for one big thing in particular: that they are BAN e-stewards. This rigorous certification is all about global responsibility, and it's the only international standard set for electronic waste. Read more about them and how they ensure worldwide health & safety for people and the environment here. The closest e-steward to Beacon is We Recycle! in Mount Vernon.
Having said all this, I haven't found a BAN-certified VHS recycler. I guess that's because VHS is mostly plastic. Anyhow, a company called GreenDisk will send you a "technotrash" can to fill for $50, and you fill it with up to 70 lbs of VHS tapes. That's a lot of tapes, as well as CDs, diskettes, DVDs, ink cartridges, cell phones, videotapes, pagers, and PDAs! Maybe some of my buddies want to go in on this? I have a giant bag of CDs to recycle! You can also mail them yourself, in your own box (which is not as awesome as a technotrash box) for $20 to hold 20 lbs. Additional weight is an additional charge. See a list of charges here.

Pass this info on, and please comment if there's other ways to recycle VHS tapes that you know of!