Amoeba Music Now Has a Recycling Bin For Your Old Records
Thrift shoppers know that record albums are typically the oldest objects you’ll encounter in the store. Vintage shoppers thwarted by shelves of “Live Laugh Love” signs from the 2000s can always be reassured they’ll see the familiar faces of Herb Alpert or Al Martino smiling back from the record bins.
But what happens when that copy of Whipped Cream and Other Delights is no longer playable? Mike Vague Records opened in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District in April, and he says the market is swimming with old stuff nobody wants.
Credit: Photo by James Tucker/Flickr“People use them for man cave décor,” Vague says. “I have a friend who cuts the labels from jazz and soul records and sells them as coasters. I saw a James Brown record that had his face laser etched on it. It’s neat to look at but the world is full of cool stuff nobody buys.” Vague keeps thousands of albums in the back room to match up sleeves and jackets, but “I’m paying per square foot to use this stuff for commerce. I’m not a storage unit.” That’s when vinyl ends up in the trash can.
Black bins marked “Drop vinyl here” have recently appeared at 11 indie record shops across the country, including Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Located next to the buying counter, the take-back bins provide a convenient place to dump albums the store rejected.
The United Nations Environment Program notes that 9.2 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s (and 400 million more tons are created each year) and the waste has a huge impact on the environment. From its effect on sea life and the migration of microplastics into our food and water supply, plastic waste is a huge problem.
Warner Music Group, which continues to produce new vinyl albums, is a sponsor of the project along with Virterras Materials, which has come up with a way to transform hard-to-recycle mixed plastics and vinyl into what they describe as “high-performance, durable materials.” By utilizing a proprietary formulation and trade-secret processes, they can turn old records into bins, pallets, and automotive components.
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No matter what, collectors can never stop collecting. “I got away with being a guy who plays with records for a living. I’ve got a hot wife and a kid and I’ve traveled the world,” Vague says. “I have 250,000 records to sell but I still go out every Saturday to the swap meets. I get that same jolt of dopamine.”
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