Fresh air! The thrill of the hunt! Walking to work one day, canx two of us wondered whether those humble trash pickers are really laughing their way back to McMansions in Jersey. So we decided to find out for. Armed with the only granny cart we bottlfs find, a handful of empty trash bags and a few hours to kill, we hit the cana of Boerum Hill at 11 a. The first few buildings on our block alone suggested a fruitful harvest, despite the disgusted leers from neighbors and passersby who seemed to be, judging by cabs faces, slightly reviled. Or maybe it was just their concern that trash picking had become the latest breaking trend among the young white males of Brooklyn, right up there with Dumpster diving and boat shoes. Three blocks down, the easy access to trash cans in the front yards of the Boerum Hill brownstones and apartment buildings was proving to be a boon: Our cart was filling up quickly. Boerum Hill had a lot of Bud Light on this particular day, and a lot of wine bottles, which bottoes no good to us male the full list of redeemables and other official info. Turning up toward Gowanus, we hit a mineral reserve of malt beverage bottles and scooped them into the cart. But I want it. The only direct competition we encountered came from an elderly lady on Bergen St. As we kept moving down the block, it became clear she had beaten us to the punch on this side of the street. We spilled hot, stale beer on ourselves, handled wet cigarette butts, and touched ancient mold and mysterious foodstuffs. We touched goo of every consistency.
Get it Sorted
But did you know you could also save and, most importantly, make money recycling? Yup, your plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, old phones, and many others were once-awesome things could be turned to cash that you can spend, save or invest. In fact, not doing it would be literally throwing away an opportunity to make money. Plus, it comes with a boost of happiness and satisfaction since you prevent things from ending up in landfills, break the waste cycle, and promote a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. Used textbooks, dictionaries — and other stuff that used to be read — but are now collecting dust in your bookshelf? Sites like BookScouter are great for quickly selling textbooks you no longer need. Earn Cash with BookScouter! DeCluttr is another useful site for book-selling. They buy used textbooks, tech, games, and other stuff. You will then pack the items up in a box — and ship them off using a free shipping label DeCluttr will have sent to you. No one likes seeing empty bottles and cans lying around after a party or a big family event. Want an easy way to do that — and make money? Cash them in! The deposits offered will differ between states. Got a bunch of empty ink cartridges in your drawer? You can make good money and get rid of clutter by selling or recycling them. Just imagine all the things you could buy with that more ink? Alternatively, you could sell your ink cartridges on sites like Craiglist or eBay. Selling stuff online is super easy since you can create a location-specific post and sell to people in your area. Scams happen, you know. Selling on eBay may require a little more effort — but you can also make more than just a couple of dollars. Metal is definitely one of the most sought-after materials when it comes to recycling. Steel is actually the most recycled material on the planet. Because it can be recycled over and over again without any degradation in its performance. Bear in mind that metals that are ferrous like steel or iron are worth less than non-ferrous metals like copper, brass, aluminum, bronze, or stainless steel. A good way to determine whether a metal is ferrous or non-ferrous is by using a magnet. Non-ferrous is what you want to be going for to make the big bucks — but remember that recycling the ferrous metals is just as good for the environment!
Get Brokelyn in your Inbox!
Looking for some spare change? With a little effort, everything from books to cookie wrappers can be traded in for cash, in-store rewards, or a good cause. In states with bottle bills , you can redeem many of the cans and bottles you buy for cash, usually 5 to 10 cents a bottle. You pay the deposit when you buy the product, so redeeming these empties is a great way to recycle, while putting a little change back in your pocket. Because of the materials used to make electronics such as lead, mercury, and brominated flame retardants, it is important to keep as much of the estimated 2. Whether the materials used to make electronics are abundant or not, it is more efficient to reuse these resources than to mine, process, and ship new ones. Fortunately, there are easy ways to be sure your e-waste is recycled properly, and some companies will even pay for your e-waste. MailInMobile and USell will do just what their names imply. These cartridges can be refilled and reused, so most manufacturers are eager to have them returned. In New York City, 4th Bin will collect everything from computers to cell phones. Also, the company only works with ISO certified partners to make sure all e-waste is recycled responsibly. Greendisk is a similar mail-in service that accepts e-waste for recycling. No matter where you recycle your e-waste, keep in mind that the recyclers are following the standards laid out by the e-Stewards Initiative. Turn that stack into cash by using a swap service. While you can always resell your used books or CDs on the web or at your local used book or CD store, another great way to get exactly the book or CD you want is by using a swapping service such as PaperBackSwap or BookMooch. A variety of convenient online outlets make it easy to resell your gently-worn clothing. Many secondhand or consignment shops will buy used clothing and furniture. Stores like Buffalo Exchange , which has locations across the country, will give you cash or store credit to use toward the latest new-to-you outfit. Thanks to innovative entrepreneurs who are working to find new ways to make products out of wrappers formerly known as waste, there are more and more opportunities to both reduce your personal garbage output and make a little extra cash. Terracycle has set up brigades all over the country that allow groups and nonprofits to collect everything from energy bar wrappers to empty scotch tape rolls and turn them in for cash. Also, Recyclebank partners with cities and towns to measure and reward residents for recycling.
Site Index
Millions of plastic bottles are manufactured and sold every year, with a tremendous number of them ending up in landfills. So, why not make money out of stuff that others simply throw away? Here is how you can make some money with plastic bottles. Get creative on how you gather the plastic bottles, and you may be able to make money on it twice. Speak to local businesses that have a large staff or that have an on-site customer base concerned with collecting their plastic.
Some may pay you to collect their plastic items for. If not, you can still set up drop boxes, and you can establish dates and times to pick up. Spread the word to your friends and family, as well as to your acquaintances on social media that you’re looking to take their plastic bottles off their hands.
Recycling centers may require plastics organized into categories for repurposing. Most bottles will be marked with a code that tells you what it is. Here are a few categories of plastics to make money recycling cans and bottles for:.
Once your bottle collection is ,where you can organize them separate them into these categories and place them in large garbage bags or in boxes. For easy dispensing, mark the container to make sure that you know which is. You will also be able to estimate any deposit value by doing.
The number of bottles that recycling centers will pay per bottle depends on the type of plastic, as well as how many you.
Michigan pays 10 cents a bottle whereas most other states pay anywhere from a few pennies to 5 cents for each bottle. Check with the recycling center that you intend to use for its rules. The great news: There are literally hundreds of DIY crafts and other projects you can make with plastic bottles. This is an eco-friendly pursuit, and it is also friendly to your pocketbook, because you can sell what you make.
Large plastic bottles make excellent planters for indoor or outdoor use. Creatively cutting a bottle and placing a solar light inside is a lovely and budget-friendly way to light up walkways and gardens.
Bore small holes into a bottle and fill it with birdseed before stringing it outside for a great bird feeder. Lots of sites have step-by-step instructions on how to upcycle plastic bottles in a myriad of ways. How to make money with plastic bottles depends on how close your nearest paying recycling center is as well as how creative you are about gathering and re-purposing.
Since most will get thrown out anyway you can most literally turn trash into treasure. Nicky is a business writer with nearly two decades of hands-on and publishing experience. Women on Writing. She also studied business in college. Skip to main content. Resources 1 Industrial Recyclers: Plastic Recycling.
About the Author Nicky is a business writer with nearly two decades of hands-on and publishing experience. LaMarco, Nicky. Small Business — Chron. Note: Depending on which text editor you’re pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site .
Easy Money — Recycling Cans and Water Bottles
More Money Hacks
The next time you enjoy a frosty recyclibg, take a closer look at the label. That symbol means the container is eligible to be recycled for cash. Where does this money come from? You get it back when you bring containers to a recycling center. The CRV from containers placed in curbside or public recycling bins is claimed by the entity that collects. Where do I go? In most cases you don’t have to go far out of your way to recycle. There are approximately 2, recycling centers all over the state, many conveniently located near the places you live and work. Just enter your ZIP code to find the one nearest you. Are recycling centers mae or operated by the State of California?
Comments
Post a Comment