How to Make Extra Money Recycling and Selling Items for Reuse
Many communities require households to recycle certain items rather than dispose of them in the garbage. Children learn about the benefits of reusing items in school and the effect of disposing these items in landfills. Turn your own unused items into extra money for your household by following some tested steps.
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Instructions
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Recyle and Reuse For Profit
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Go through the unused items in your home. Spend time looking through the items stored in your attic or in the garage. Identify those items you no longer use and gather them in one area. Continue this process throughout your house and watch the pile grow.
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Separate useful items, recyclable materials and garbage. Once you've gathered all the unused items, identify which items still hold value and can be used. Create a separate pile for these items. Identify those items with no useful value but which are recyclable. Create a second pile for these. Finally, throw those items with no value and no recyclable materials into the garbage can.
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Find recycling centers by looking online or in the phone book. Call these recycling centers to learn what rate they pay for each recyclable material you own. These rates vary depending on the material. Compare the rate paid by each recycling center and choose the one who pays the most for the materials you own.
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Have a garage sale. Choose a weekend day. Advertise the sale with fliers, posters, yard signs and on online sites. On the day of the sale, organize your pile of useful items and display them on tables in your garage or in your driveway. Create signs that list your address and the hours you plan to stay open. Place these signs in front of your house and at busy intersections near your home.
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List big ticket items in online classifieds. Sell your unsold items using an online classified service. Take digital pictures of your items and write a description of each. Create separate ads for each item.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are unable to sell some of your useful items, donate the items to charity. You might not receive cash for these items, but you might be able to deduct the donation when you file your income taxes.
Choose your contact information carefully when placing an online classified ad. Use the service's email function or create a free email address for this purpose. Limit the personal information you share until you know more about the potential buyer.
