The Best Way to Earn Money With Recycling

Earn and save money by recycling on a regular basis.

Recycling helps prevent pollution and the destruction of valuable resources. It also helps companies and cities save money. Because towns and states know the importance of recycling, many also offer incentives to people who take recyclables to redemption centers. If you want to make money on a regular basis from recycling, devise a plan that will allow you to collect items and earn cash efficiently.

Things You'll Need

• Recycling bins, bags, or boxes

Instructions

1. Compile a list of all the recyclable items for which you can receive payment. Possible items include bottles, cans, printer cartridges, cell phones, electronic devices and pieces of scrap metal. Check with your local town administration building or visit an online resource listing state recycling laws and the amount you can receive for redeeming each item.

2. Identify the location of redemption centers in your area for each of the items on your list. That includes bottle redemption locations (commonly found on liquor store and supermarket properties) and stores (like office supply locations) that allow you to bring in used items for credit.

3. Create clearly labeled bins, bags or boxes for each type of recyclable item that you want to redeem for money. You can find recycling bins at your local hardware store. Place your bins in an accessible area of your home and encourage all members of your household to add recyclables to the correctly labeled bins.

4. Schedule one or more days of each week or one to two hours per day to collect recyclable materials that appear on your list. Make rounds through your own home to find items to recycle. Visit public places such as parks, the homes of neighbors (if permitted by your town), and festivals where people commonly dispose of cans and other recyclables.

5. Schedule one day each week to visit the redemption center to redeem the recyclables you've collected. Pack up each container when full and load it into your car or truck the night before.

6. Visit the redemption center to deposit your findings. Depending on the rules of the particular redemption center, you'll either receive a receipt for cash, a receipt toward a purchase or cash for your efforts.

References

• Ecocycle: Eco-Cycle's Ten Reasons to Recycle

Resources

• BottleBill: Current & Proposed Bottle Bills
• EcyclingResource: Current Electronics Recycling Laws in Effect