What to Do With Old VHS Tapes & DVDs

Most old VHS tapes and DVDs are worth nothing — the formats are obsolete and the markets are flooded — and tapes can't go in curbside recycling. But usable DVDs are still wanted by libraries and senior centers, and nothing has to be landfilled by default. I take media that comes in with book donations across Albuquerque with free pickup, route the usable discs, and handle the rest responsibly. Here's how to deal with a closet of tapes and discs, including the truth about those "valuable" Disney tapes.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 702-496-4214

The hard truth about VHS values

VHS tapes were produced by the hundreds of millions, the players are gone from most homes, and the result is a format with essentially no resale value. Thrift stores can't move them; many won't even accept them anymore. A garage full of taped movies and home recordings is, for resale purposes, worth nothing.

Which tapes and discs actually have value

VHS: a narrow collector niche is real — rare horror and cult titles, certain pre-cert and banned tapes, sealed copies, and films that were never released on disc or streaming. These are the exception, not your shelf of studio releases.

DVDs: out-of-print titles, Criterion Collection and boutique-label releases, complete TV series box sets, and films unavailable to stream hold modest value. The everyday studio DVD does not, because streaming crushed the market.

Home recordings have no market value but can have deep family value — consider having irreplaceable family tapes digitized before anything goes.

The good news for DVDs

Unlike tapes, usable DVDs still do real good. Public libraries, senior centers, assisted-living facilities, hospitals, and classrooms still circulate DVDs, and a box of family movies or documentaries can land somewhere it's genuinely watched. Movies are also a small kindness in waiting rooms and day rooms. That's why I'm glad to take them even when they're worth nothing on the resale market.

Why you can't just toss tapes in the bin

A VHS tape is a plastic shell wound with magnetic tape, and that combination jams standard recycling equipment — so tapes are not curbside-recyclable. They generally have to go to a specialty electronics or media recycler that can separate the materials, or, as a genuine last resort, to the landfill. DVDs are a different plastic (and also not curbside-accepted in most programs). The point is simply: don't assume the blue bin will take them, and don't feel you have to figure out the recycling logistics alone.

I take media with book donations

When tapes and discs come in alongside a book donation — and they almost always do — I take them, free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. Usable DVDs get routed to libraries, senior centers, and classrooms; the genuine collector rarities are set aside; and the dead stock is directed to the right recycling rather than dumped. It's the same principle as the rest of what I do: keep the usable in circulation, and divert the rest from the landfill. (See also the companion guide to old vinyl records.)

Frequently asked questions

Are old VHS tapes worth anything?

Almost never — and the "rare Disney VHS worth thousands" stories are a myth. Genuine value is a narrow niche of rare horror/cult and never-on-disc titles.

Are old DVDs worth anything?

Most aren't, thanks to streaming. Out-of-print, Criterion, and complete box sets are the exceptions — and usable DVDs are still wanted by libraries and senior centers.

Can you recycle VHS tapes?

Not curbside — tapes need a specialty media/e-waste recycler. DVDs also aren't curbside-recyclable. Donating usable discs and letting a pickup handle the rest is simplest.