What to Do With Old VHS Tapes & DVDs

Save any family footage, then donate the rest, and keep tapes and discs out of the recycling cart. Home recordings are the only irreplaceable part of the pile, so digitize those first. Movies, TV recordings and DVDs can still go to someone who will watch them. In the Albuquerque metro I take VHS tapes and DVDs in any condition and any quantity: the covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, free pickup scheduled by route, or a daytime drop-off 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with someone there to help unload.

Published June 2026 · Updated September 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 505-250-3804

Fastest way to clear them: the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, a covered box outside the gate, by the road, takes whatever fits, any hour, any condition. Too much for the box? Come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when someone is there to help unload, or get on a free pickup route. Directions.

Step 1: Pull out the home recordings

Weddings, birthdays, school plays and taped-off-TV moments with family in the frame are the tapes that matter, and magnetic tape fades with age. Label them, set them aside, and have them digitized before anything else leaves the house. The home movies and slides guide walks through it. Once the footage is saved, the tapes themselves can be donated with everything else.

Step 2: Pass on what’s watchable

Studio movies, kids’ tapes, workout tapes, documentaries and DVD box sets still have viewers. A library, school, senior center or neighborhood Buy Nothing group may want specific titles, so ask before you drop anything off; most have limits on what they can shelve. If you’d rather clear the whole shelf in one go, cases and all, that’s what I’m here for.

Step 3: Keep them out of the recycling cart

A VHS tape is a plastic shell wound with magnetic ribbon, and a DVD is polycarbonate with a bonded reflective layer. Neither is on the City of Albuquerque’s blue-cart list (checked September 2026), and loose tape is the kind of thing that wraps around sorting machinery. Dead tapes and discs need a specialty media or e-waste recycler, many of which work by mail. You don’t have to sort that out yourself: hand the lot to someone who will.

Where to donate VHS tapes and DVDs in Albuquerque

I take VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-rays and camcorder tapes on their own or mixed in with books, any quantity and any condition, sleeves or not. Put a few bags in the covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE; bring a cabinet’s worth 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week, when someone is at the warehouse to help unload; or text 505-250-3804 for free pickup across the metro, scheduled by route. VCRs and DVD players are welcome too, handed over in person or on a pickup rather than left in the box. From elsewhere in the US, tapes and discs qualify for USPS Media Mail and can be mailed to me (postage is donor-paid). Usable tapes and discs go back into circulation, and dead stock goes to a media recycler when one can take it. More: donating DVDs in Albuquerque, the VHS quick answer, and the media donation hub for CDs, vinyl, games and cameras.

Frequently asked questions

What do I do with old VHS tapes?

Save the home recordings first by digitizing anything irreplaceable. Then donate the rest: movies and TV recordings still find viewers, and tapes aren't on the City of Albuquerque's blue-cart list. In the Albuquerque metro I take them in any condition, by free pickup or at the covered 24/7 drop box.

What do I do with old DVDs?

Pass the watchable ones on: a library, senior center, classroom or Buy Nothing group may want specific titles, so ask first. In the Albuquerque metro you can give the whole shelf to me, cases and all, by free pickup or through the 24/7 drop box. Cracked or unplayable discs belong with a media recycler, not the recycling cart.

Where can I donate old VHS tapes?

VHS is one of the harder formats to donate. In the Albuquerque metro I take them, movies and home recordings alike, by free pickup scheduled by route or at the 24/7 drop box outside the gate on Edith Blvd NE. Elsewhere, check whether a local library, senior community or school media program wants specific titles, or mail them to me by Media Mail.

Can you recycle VHS tapes?

Not in a curbside cart. Tapes aren't on the City of Albuquerque's blue-cart list, and the magnetic tape can wrap around sorting equipment, so they need a specialty media or e-waste recycler, many of which work by mail. DVDs aren't on the list either. Donating them and letting me handle the rest is simplest.

Can I throw away old VHS tapes?

In most places it's legal to put them in household trash, but they'll end up in a landfill, and the tape doesn't break down. Donating the watchable ones or sending the rest to a media recycler is the better route.

What should I do with home-recorded VHS tapes?

Watch or digitize anything irreplaceable first, such as weddings, birthdays and family footage, because the tape degrades over time. See what to do with old home movies. Once you've saved what matters, the tapes themselves can be donated or recycled.

Do you take VCRs and DVD players?

Yes, working or not. Bring players 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when someone at the warehouse can take them, or add them to a free metro pickup rather than the drop box. Working TVs and monitors are welcome the same way.