Many churches have Tape Ministries of one kind or another. Since about 1990, the cassette tape as stayed about the same price. Cassette Recorder and players are not all the same. Cassette tapes are not all the same.
Cassette tapes are an excellent method of passing information around.
When a cassette is recorded, on one machine and played on another, the second machines could be very different. The effects on the physical tape can have a major impact the next time the tape is used on another cassette player or recorder. When a recorded tape from a church is passed around, the next player could tighten the tape, stretch the tape, track poorly or the pickup wheel could be too slow. Any one of these problems could make recycling cassettes a problem for the church. Sure, often there is no problem.