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Saving Bottles and Cans Can Equal Big Money

Saturday, February 12, 2011



In states where recycling is mandatory (as in, you put out a recycle bin with the trash bin every week) people seem to have forgotten that you can actually make money off your plastic, aluminum, and glass. And in places where recycling is not required, people may not realize how much money you can make. Of course, not every locale houses a recycling center, so it may not make much sense to spend the gas money getting to the nearest outpost, but if you live in a town that boasts this eco-friendly option, there’s absolutely no excuse for not doing your part for the planet. And you may be pleasantly surprised by the monetary gains that come along with it.


Now, if you don’t necessarily use a lot of bottles and cans in your household, you might think that it’s not worth your effort to save them and take them to be recycled. But you’re not looking at the bigger picture. Even if it takes you six months to fill a couple of trash bags, you could end up with $40 or $50 at the end, which is a nice meal out for you and your spouse (or at least a trip to the pizza joint with the kids). It’s free money and frankly, it’s a return on what you already spent for the soda or water that originally came in those cans and bottles. Plus, won’t you feel better knowing that you’re not contributing to the out-of-control waste that is causing our landfills to overflow?


But you can do more. A single household may not produce enough cans and bottles to make much difference in their daily budget, but a whole block probably does (not to mention a whole town). Unless recycling is mandated by law, you probably have a lot of neighbors who are tossing their cans and bottles in the trash. Why not ask them to save these items for you so you can take them to the recycling center? They won’t have to do much, just keep an extra bin in the garage that you’ll collect once a week. They can feel good about reducing their carbon footprint without having to take the time to drive their recyclables downtown. Of course, they may eventually wise up and realize that they could be making money, but you could always offer to split the profits from their donation with them (so they get a few bucks out of the deal and still avoid the drive).


You could even take it a step further and petition the city to be allowed to set up a recycling drop-off at your home. Your neighbors might not like the look of a large bin in your driveway, so it’s important to get the proper permits for such an undertaking, but it could allow people who otherwise wouldn’t make the trip all the way down to the recycling center a way to keep their cans and bottles out of the trash. Not to mention, it will net you a whole lot more money. Of course, you will probably have to clean all these items to make them eligible for recycling (yuck), but when you start netting a couple hundred dollars a month (or more, depending on the popularity of your operation), it might seem well worth your while.





Kyle Simpson writes for E-PAK Machinery, an industry leading manufacturer of in-line liquid packaging machinery. Whether you are looking for bottle filling equipment or water bottling equipment E-PAK Machinery can tailor a solution to meet your specific needs.

2 comments:

  1. I'm a recycler myself. By the way, you might want to join my One World One Heart prize giveaway. :)

    (I just got your email so was able to come over here. The blog I'm linking is another blog of mine.)

    -cecile cinco (aka c5)

    ReplyDelete
  2. hey cecile! you have the same name with my sister! :) By the way, here in my place recycling is really not mandatory, but me myself is an environmentalist. I am not naturally like this but because of my course BSE (General Science) and we often talks about environment, then this drives me to love the nature.. So I just want to extend first the good news of recycling to my family and friends. of course by using social media! But atleast I could give a little help to mother nature! well anyways, this a very informative.. Feel so glad that there are still people who truly cares for our environment! Cheers to all of you.. :)

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