Oh the irony of using an old technology to store the new!
Videos are becoming an obsolete technology as DVDs and downloads take over, but video casettes are difficult to impossible to recycle. Charity shops are full of them, and they find them difficult to shift (even at 6 for £1 in our local shop). So, what do we do with them?
My husband and I recently went TV-free, and had a big box of home-recorded videos that we couldn’t bring ourselves to throw away. We sat down one evening and challenged ourselves to come up with a useful purpose for them.
We tried lots of ideas, but the final result was to build a retro DVD storage tower. It is made up of nothing more than old videos used as building bricks, stuck together with some strong plastic adhesive. It took a bit of experimenting to come up with the best design, but we got there in the end!
I think this is an effective way of reusing something that lots of people have in their homes collecting dust, or, even worse, piling up in landfill. It makes a statement and gets lots of attention from visitors. We joke that if we patent it then we’d become ‘miwionaires,’ but much better to share the idea and let everyone else have fun too!
Why don’t you try it?
Categories: reuse competition
HA! This is BRILLIANT! I love the retro look and that you have found a reuse for something that is often so hard to dispose of responsibly. I bet this is a real talking point in your home
Oooh I really like this!! Now I’m trying to think of a re-use that incorporates the hinge on the tape protector-doofer. I’ve also seen accessories (shopping bags, I think) knitted from old unspooled video tape so I guess there could be more than one thing made from one old video.
When I glanced at the photo I didnt even realise they were tapes! I love this idea, they would be so strong and definitely a feature in the house! Congrats on being shortlisted!
what a great idea! i have soooooo many Disney videos which i cant bear to throw out, but i no longer have a video player! they would look even prettier with the cases on too, nice for a kids dvd shelf! you got my vote, well done! good luck
Hi Beth, you know I’m a great fan of your idea, so well done for gaining third place in the reuse competition. Many people were inspired by your creative reuse
Thank you very much- it was good fun to make and I am glad it has been of interest to people.
What plastic adhesive did you use?
Bostik hard plastics clear adhesive. Pretty toxic stuff, I’m afraid. I’m open to suggestions of milder alternatives…
I saw a request for old vidoetapes from an artist based in Brick Lane in London. She was going to spin the old tapes to make ‘wool’ to knit with. This was a short-term residency. I’d love to find out if you need special equipment to make ‘wool’ from these old tapes. Maybe the Crafts Council in Pentonville Road will have further information. I haven’t got round to enquiring yet.
On Saturday August 1 I knit London will be in the Leake Street tunnel below Waterloo Station in London (noon to 5pm) knitting with cassette tape, electric flex and other unusual yarns. I expect they would welcome further supplies for this and future events.
I was at the Alternative Village Fair on the South Bank (London) last weekend and saw the bags made from old videotape by Heather Jones (from Cornwall). She also makes lovely cats out of old videotapes! I think I might have a go myself though I doubt my efforts will be as good!