How to Decide if Recycling Cans for Money is Worth Your Time

Recycling cans for money is one of the most common ways to earn extra money. Many people come up with the idea, but then push it to the side when they can't figure out if it will be worth their time. Follow these steps to find out if recycling cans for money is worth it to you.

Instructions

1. 

   Look in the Yellowpages or do a Google search for local scrap metal companies, to determine current rates for recycling aluminum cans. These rates fluctuate daily, and vary from state to state. Historic averages range anywhere from $.30 - $.80 per pound of aluminum cans.

2. Decide if the current rate per pound is worth the recycling effort. 30 to 33 empty aluminum cans weigh about a pound. So based on historical averages, you can expect to make $0.01 to $0.03 per can, or $.30 to $1.00 per pound of aluminum cans recycled.

3. Do a realistic assessment of how many cans your household consumes. It won't do you much good if you purposely start buying soda cans just to recycle more. Recycling cans for money obviously work best for larger households.

4. Figure out if you will be buying name brand or off brand sodas. If you purchase off brand sodas such as Vess, than your percentage return for recycling will be much greater than if you purchase name brands such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola which are much more expensive.

5. Make sure you have plenty of empty space to store cans. In order to make much money, you will need a lot of space to store bags full of empty cans.

6. 

   Figure out how long you plan on saving cans. You will have a better chance of cashing in when rates are high if you plan on saving for a year or two. Even if the current rate is at extreme lows, you may be able to cash them in when prices rebound.

7. 

   Make sure your purpose has reasonable expectations. If you are looking to take a vacation on this money or put a down payment on a new car, then recycling may not be your best option. However, if you just want to earn extra gas money, or use this money towards groceries then recycling cans may be a good option for you.

Tips & Warnings

• Trade in your cans for cash when oil hits really high prices. Aluminum is a commodity and will likely be at high prices as well. This would be a great time to use this money to help out with your gas purchases.