If National VCR Day has you wondering what to do with your old VHS tapes, look no further.
Since the popularity of DVDs — and especially now, in the age of streaming — VCRs aren’t the primary way for people to watch movies anymore.
Though some VHS tapes could be worth a small fortune, many are not. In those cases, the first thing to figure out is what’s on the tape.
People who have home videos on their VHS tapes may want to convert them into a digital format, according to Komando.com.
VHS tapes degrade over time, so if the home videos are important or contain special memories, then converting the video will be the best way to keep the memories forever.
There are a few ways to convert a VHS tape to a digital file, including doing it yourself or paying a company to do it, according to Komando.com.
To convert a VHS tape yourself, you’ll need a VCR or VHS camcorder and a converter that digitizes video onto a computer. The process has to be done in real-time and can take a while, Komando.com reported.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Meanwhile, companies such as Costco and CVS can help you digitize home movies from VHS tapes.
Costco’s Video Transfer service costs $24.99 to get one video converted onto a USB drive, the website says.
CVS’s service costs $34.99 to convert a VHS to a USB, according to the website.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
People who don’t want to keep their VHS tapes — or the content on them — have several other options.
VHS tapes cannot be recycled as part of typical recycling services, according to MindBodyGreen.com, but some areas have e-waste collections and some Best Buy stores will accept tapes for recycling.
There are other companies such as GreenDisk and TerraCycle that accept electronics to be recycled through the mail, but those services typically cost money, the website reported.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
VHS tapes can also be resold, either on their own or as a bundle. The website recommended sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or eBay.
Another alternative is to donate the VHS tapes to places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, or offer the tapes for free on Facebook Marketplace or the Buy Nothing Project, MindBodyGreen.com said.