Where'd all the Betamaxes go?

[Harvestman]

I've been browsing this forum for a bit, and was wondering about something.

What has happened to all the Betamax tapes? They seem to be virtually impossible to find in any condition, anywhere. I think I've seen a grand total of one tape in 5 years at the local Goodwill.

Have most of them just been thrown out due to their technology being obscure and obsolete? I'm just wondering why they're so hard to find compared to VHSes, which are everywhere. (I know the production run was much longer for VHS tapes, but even the ones from the early '80s are still somewhat common.)

Thanks,
Peter