How to Start a Green Recycling Business
Our landfills are overflowing, and recycling companies have a steady, never-ending supply of waste material. The current focus on environmental awareness increases demand for recycling services. You can protect the environment and run a successful recycling business at the same time. Focus on a niche, such as scrap metal, since there is no special equipment needed and start-up costs are very low.
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Instructions
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Look for items to recycle. Go to computer and electronics stores and ask if you can recycle the items they can't sell or repair. Find discarded computers in garbage dumps. Post an ad in college newspapers asking for students' old computers, as they are likely to upgrade frequently. Collect the cases from unused computers, cell phones and other electronic devices.
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Contact plumbers and make a deal with them to give you their throwaways when they finish a repair job. You can collect air conditioners, furnaces, water heaters and boilers that are full of scrap metal.
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Create a storage area to keep the materials you've collected until you accumulate enough to sell. Set up a small shed or tent in your backyard. If you live in an apartment, ask a friend or neighbor with extra space if you can store your material in their backyard or garage. Offer them a percentage of your profits to make it worth their while. Keep your storage area organized by sorting all the material into separate piles for heavy metals, gold, copper and aluminum.
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Find buyers for the recyclable material you've gathered. Scan the phonebook for scrap metal dealers and recyclers. Call scrap metal dealers and ask how much they pay for the type and amount of metal you have. Sell to the one who pays the highest price.
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Tips & Warnings
Look for a region with a large population that has few or no recycling programs and has an unmet need for metal recycling.
Use care when handling scrap metal, as the edges can be sharp and dangerous.
References
- Photo Credit junk yard image by Danuta Kania from Fotolia.com
