Recycling For Money
99When you think of recycling, do you think making money? Most people think about recycling in terms of reducing trash or helping the environment. While these things are true, it is also true that you can make money by recycling.
Save your cans and bottles. Many states charge a deposit when you purchase a can or bottle. Most people don't think of it this way, but this really is part of the purchase price. Many people don't turn in their cans and bottles, but the money can really add up. Five cents a can or bottle can turn into dollars quickly. This doesn't just have to be your cans or bottles. Many people throw them out with the regular trash, or just put them in their recycling bins. Take a drive through your neighborhood on trash day and you could easily gather bags of cans and bottles that you can turn into cold hard cash.
How about grocery bags? My grocery store gives me a five cent discount for each bag that I bring in to sack my groceries in. I save my bags and stick them in my purse before I head to the store. I am saving the environment and making a little money too. It usually amounts to $.40 a week.
Recycling will definitely reduce the amount of trash you generate each week. Many cities charge per bag of trash that they pick up. Reducing your bags from four to two each week, can really save you some money.
Toner cartridges are becoming popular items to recycle. Staples offers a $3 in-store coupon for each cartridge you bring in. This can allow you to purchase what you need, while not spending as much of your money. To me and this article, spending less is like making money.
When we moved I sold, (in other words recycled) all of our moving supplies. We had lots of good solid boxes that could easily be used again, as well as lots of bubble wrap and plastic slip pockets for dishes. It was very tempting to just throw this stuff away and get it out of my house. However I took the time to post it all on Craigs list and within a couple of days I had made money off of it all.
What about recycling clothing and toys? You might not think of these things as recyclable, but really they are. If you sell them when you are through with them, you are recycling them and making money. Whether it be on Ebay, at a consignment store or by having a garage sale, selling the things you are not using anymore is recycling and you can make money by doing it.
Let's not forget making money for other people as well. Our church in CO and our church here, both have huge metal bins in the parking lot. When people come to church they can bring their old newspapers and drop them in the bin. While I personally cannot get paid for the papers and things, the church can sell it and make money. It is based on weight and this has been a good way for both our churches to make some extra money.
Recycling is a great thing to do for the environment and it is why I do many of the things I do. It doesn't just have to be about the environment though. There are many opportunities to make money by recycling. Next time you are going to throw something away, think before you toss, it could be worth some money.
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Hi again! Just wanted to say that removing cans from recycling bins is illegal, and many communities are now enforcing this very strictly. They use this money to help keep your waste collection costs down.
very iformative hub, recycling for money might motiate more people to recycle.
once again, great post Jennifer. You did a great job!
what recycling companies do you know of?
Hi again.Sorry about my last comment, I am such an idiot for thinking that you were talking about stealing cans from a recycling bin, when you only meant asking people in our neighborhood for their cans that they are throwing out.You know me, such a dummy!
Wher can I recycle for money in NC Durham??
who well buy can's?
Great post!
If the economics don't work, recycling efforts won't either. Check my Blog: Http://LivePaths.com about innovative entrepreneurs that make money selling recycled items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources. These includes some very cool Green online ventures, great new technologies, startups and investments opportunities.
Some people may be unable to have a garage or yard sale. If people watch and think, though, there are lots of things that can be recycled.
One thing that can be done with old clothes, is to Sew! Quilting has been made with old clothing for years. Small hanging wall quilts sell for around fifty dollars, sometimes more. (No, I haven't done this, just heard about it, and seen some at Wally-World!). bjp
Another good hub, consider me a fan.
How do you find out if you can get money in your state.
Great idea about doing more recycling. We should do more for going green!
Interesting idea. We should work more for ongoing process of green earth
Tesco in the UK are piloting recycling machines which put points on your plastic card for recycling tins or bottles.
This is a good list of ideas. I'm just used to thinking about how much they charge on our garbage for recycling.
That's a really useful Hub - I didn't know about the vouchers at Staples. Just to think I get rid of things that I could be getting paid for.
Thanks Jennifer
Very nice and useful, especially in current economic situation, when we need to seek for any opportunity to get some additional income.
Nice hub. I am impressed by the number of hubs you have published so far in hubpages. I wish I could do the same. Can you assist please?
cool now i can for money now
Great Hub with great information. We all could use a little inspiration. There are hundreds of ways to recycle. If everyone made some effort, even a little, we could do wonders.
Interesting and very informative hub! Thank you.
Hello Jennifer,
I am a friend of anyone who believes in teaching our young people to take care of their own planet. I wrote a hub about Reduce-Recycle-Reuse but I didn't hit the point of reuse as well as you do. Thanks for that.
I will now become a fan so I get notice as you write your hubs. Thanks, NEIL
great info thank you
I admit I only read this because it was at the top of the list and (yes) it caught my eye. Plus you reminded me of someone. Even so, great ideas here, makes me feel a little guilty for tossing out my cans last week. :)
Just a year ago I started recycling aluminum cans from my classroom and a part-time cleaning job I do. Well, a year later I accumulated about 80lbs of cans. I am all about recycling; however, most places only pay 60 cents/lb. It takes about 30 cans to make a pound, which equates to about 2 cents a can. This is a terrible incentive. I'm going to recycle my 80lbs, but I don't think I'm going to spend my time and energy picking through dirty trashes anymore and smashing all of those cans for such a small deposit. I will, however, continue to recycle my own stuff because I do care about the environment...just don't plan to make a profit. :)
I recycle all boxes from media materials and orders that arrive on my doorstep. I save the boex and shipping materials to be reused when I ship out orders or gifts to family members. We also save all our moving boxes, flattened and ready to be reused for another move. Since we moved 5 states in 7 years, this was really a great money saver--$3 to $8 a box can get rather expensive.
I also recylce glass jars and bottles and other containers and make vases out of them in which I sell and distribute as gifts.
This year we discovered that our town now offer recycling and there's a huge list of things that can go into one large clear plastic bag. I have to tell you that we cut our trash down to 1/3 of what it was before we began recycling. It's such a HUGE eye opener--how much we sent to the landfills.
It feels really good to do something good for the environment, too. Especially now that I have a better understanding of the consequences my choices make on the environment and my children's futures.
I heard there was a guy who took all the recycled trash in New York and turned them into new products. He got rich from doing that. Anyway, it's a nice article that invites all of us to keep clean and green.
Great Hub... and I believe Ronalds comment about the guy getting rich. It's as always if you give it all your attention, you can make money in everything.. Even online. Online recycling. :-) Anyway great original approach..
Hans
Nice articles and need some thinking. Just another way of making money or passive income.
The money is chicken feed unless you go gung ho and full time. And guidebaba, it's hardly passive. But it's niice to know youre doing something positive.
will recycling pulltabs from cans get u money
Great ideas. I already do a few of those (cans and newspapers) but some of them our area does not pay for at all.
I would love to know if you know the best way to recycle clothes that are not in condition to sell or old cloth.
We don't make much doing the cans and bottles thing but it's good for the environment. A city recycling truck picks up newspapers and regular paper (yes, they'll take all that junk mail too).
If your town has a dump, it's a great place to exchange perfectly good items--one person's trash is another one's treasure. It's a form of recycling that keeps things out of the landfill.
In Boston we see lots of good stuff put out on the curbs before trash night. Over the years we've found amazing things like VCRs, PCs, fans, books, CDs, etc. Talk about saving money!
So yes, I totally agree with you, Jennifer. There are a lot of positive things we can do for the environment wherever we live. Great article!
If every one would recycle, than this world would be much, much better. Thanks for your hub!
If we want our childrens to have a nice future we need to care for the environment. Recycle is one basic thing and is very important contribution for our children best future. Thanks for sharing this info!
thanks i didn't realize i could get that discount with the toner cartridge.
Making money and recycling are two good things... If you can get one doing the other, that's amazing! Thanks for the tips!
Just wanted to add a change to that article. The recycling policy for cartridges at Staples has changed slightly. Now you get the $3 coupon if you're a Rewards member at Staples. You can recycle Dell, Lexmark, Kodak, and HP cartridges for this $3 coupon. You can recycle 3 cartridges per day & the coupon is sent to you at the end of each month. However, if you don't use any of those brands, you can still bring in your cartridges to be recycled...you just won't get the coupon.
Being a Rewards member doesn't cost you anything. It's pretty much just a "thank you" for shopping at Staples. You get 10% back on all ink/toner, paper, and anything in the copy & print center. As you move up to higher levels, you can start earning rewards on other products in the store. It really is worth it.
Jennifer,
Excellent article filled with useful information. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Cheers,
Joe
Impressive hub, I learnt something new today about recycling and its quite helpful. Keep up the good work Jennifer.
Want to learn how to get into recycling plastic. How and were could I get started, all the pop bottles soap bottles food that is in plastic cleaning bottles
Nice articles and need some thinking. Just another way of making money or passive income.
earth911 will tell you where the recyling centers are near you.
Made sense. Tree is getting less.
Thanks for this advice, I need help with money so this is great advice!
I live in a relatively small town and we arranged a city wide garage sale. It has become very popular with the communities around us so we get quite a turnaround. Since there are so many of us selling at the same time so close by it makes it worth everyone's time to recycle.
Recycling_For_Money
I think this hub is the anti-anti-toxin to anxiety! Help, the verbosity of it is making me anxious!
Recycling_For_Money
Very sensible advice, thanks for your hub.
Hi I am looking for an extra cash doing recycling in chicago, i have collected used magazines and papers but i called a number of recycling office and i was told I need to have 60,000 tons before i can sell them! I saw this article and caught my attention. I would appreciate if you can help me on this.
It is always good to recycle, thanks for the info.
this is some awesome advice thanks im really gonna listen to it
your a very helpfull lady thank you!
do you have anymore advise though iv got alot of money problems sorry to be a bother... thanks love
this is some awesome advice thanks im really gonna listen to it
your a very helpfull lady thank you!
do you have anymore advise though iv got alot of money problems sorry to be a bother... thanks love
I have taken a slightly different approach to encourage people to recycle. I believe that there needs to be a stronger incentive for people to start recycling. And that incentive is being able to profit from recycling. So, I have created a website, http://sodacans.org, where people can make extra cash by selling and by helping to sell, domestic recyclable items like soda cans, plastic/glass bottles, etc. While you are there, please click on the 'Contact Us' link on the website, to provide any feedback that you may have.
Hi! I'm a teacher who wants the school to start recycling. We are also in a budget defecit - we would like to raise money by recycling. What is the best way to do this? We work in Brighton, Colorado. Do you know any companies that would assist with this?
Making money from your neighbors. The real beauty is they will be more than happy to give you stacks of money. Go to moneybailer.com to find out how.
Very well written hub .....
very much informative ......
Thank you very much for your great hub, for good advice, good wishes and support. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us.
Make money and going green at the same time. Way to go!
A great hub ! I've done some recycling out of polluting bottles too.
I'm recycling my PC, where do I send it?
In the UK, a few charities will take donated printer and toner cartridges to recycle. You are doing two good deeds at once, recycling and helping a good cause.
Great hub, thanks for sharing.
WHERE CAN YOU GO AND BRING THEM IN...?
I have a xerox copier-it can be fixed, but we no longer need it, but don't know what we can do with it. We hate to have to throw it away.Can you help.
GreenTonerGuy says:
2 years ago
Great Hub! If only more people took the time to care about our environment and partake inToner Recycling programs we would be in much better shape. Keep up the good work.