I am so relieved you got some good info here. I kept checking back and finding that no one had answered. All I could come up with was two silly craft projects. Hot glue the cases together until you have the desired bedside table. (That would use up a lot.) Or, glue the pretty surface of the slide covers to the wall to make a Now Showing walk through the history of your favorite films. So, it was good that someone else stepped in. They just accumulate at my local thrifts.
I took mine to the recycling center as the nursing homes, youth centers, thrift stores did not want them.
Some places do not take CD/DVD either.
I read somewhere that VHS tapes can be recorded onto DVD's. Might want to research that.
We had a bunch of VHS tapes. My husband put them on the internet. Don't remember if it was Facebook Marketplace or Ebay. We didn't want any money for them, but I'm sure there are people who would pay something. I know whoever takes the tapes will need a working player. Best wishes for you to find some place or someone to take them off your hands.