There are plenty of ways to make money recycling that don't involve collecting millions of cans. Read on to learn how.
Benefits of Making Money with Recycling
Besides the obvious; you make some money, recycling can go a long way towards keeping our planet clean. If everyone simply keeps buying new items, instead of using what they have, we're going to be run over with trash at some point. Some of the best things you can reuse are items that are not as easy to recycle, because while recyclables can be made new again, some items like many computer components cannot.
To learn more about the impact recycling can have on the earth take a look at the following:
- Recycling: The Big Picture
- The Truth
- Benefits of Recycling
- Why is Recycling Important
How to Make Money Recycling
You have various options available when it comes to making money with recycled objects. You can go the collection route, depending on where you live. For example, in Oregon, you can very well collect cans and turn them in for cash - it's not fast, but it's cash.
If you live in a state like New Mexico, your options are limited to collecting pounds of a basic recyclable, like cans or paper, which you then haul to a recycling facility and after it's weighed you receive a price per pound. Recyclables that are basic, like paper and cans are poor money making choices for the per pound price, you have to save up tons, and then have a van big enough to haul it all in.
Visit your local government homepage for your city or state to learn about recycling for cash options locally.
Creating New Items From Old
A more effective way to make money recycling than collecting, is to salvage usable items from dump off places. In this case you have a wide variety of dump off places to choose from.
- The local garbage facility.
- Dumpsters in your area - an activity known as dumpster diving.
- Thrift stores and garage sales: Often, you can find items that can be made to look better, or made into something new, and then sold for a profit.
- Found items: Found items can come from anywhere; your own home, a pal, the street, and so on. Found items are much like thrift store and garage sale items, but being found, they're usually free.
If you find an object, say a table, it's clear what you should do. Refinish it, fix it up, and resell. But what about all those miscellaneous objects you have? Well, some, if they qualify as old or antique, may possibly be sold as is, such as on a site like eBay. Other items may seem useless to you at first glance, but with a little work and research that bag of buttons may become something great.
Read Recycling Projects to learn how to turn junk into treasures and money making items.
Selling As Is Recyclable Items
There are plenty of items that can be sold as is, no work on your part, as in the above section. You can collect items that come from home or other structure deconstruction site. Doors, parts of walls, fixtures and more can all be sold. If you know someone who is remodeling offer to pick up their home cast-offs.
You can sell items you already own instead of tossing them in the dump. While you're at it collect your friend's items as well. People toss out books, computers, clothing, televisions, blenders, and whole china sets. That is not only a huge waste, and toll on the environment, but a loss of what might be a nice profit.
To sell items you can hold a sale at your home. If you have a decent home, you should consider holding the sale inside, instead of as a garage sale, because you can often charge more for items and people will pay - there must be something about being inside that makes people more willing to spend. You can also rent a table at a local flea market. That might seem like small potatoes, but some cities have huge flea market events each week, and there are individuals living off the profits they make.
Many places collect cell phones to resell and will give you a share even if you're only collecting and turning them in.
