Friday, November 15, 2024

Your Questions About Recycling

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Filed under Recycling Q & A

Steven asks…

How can I make money recycling plastic bottles, paper, cans, etc. for money?

I live in Arizona and I was wondering if there is a place where I can get money for bringing in plastic bottles, paper, cans,etc. for money?

The Expert answers:

Try checking the referenced web site for where you can take your recyclables. Call them and see if how much they pay per pound.
-Do your calculations to find out how much one pound of these items is. (How many cans make a pound?)
-Make sure you have a proper place to store the items so you do not make a home for bugs and vermin. You might be surprised at the amount of you must bring at one time to make any sizable amount of money.

Donna asks…

How/Where to make money recycling bottles ,cans, etc.?

Where I live you just recycle for free but how can i make money and where?

The Expert answers:

Bring them to a bottle redemption center, or to the machines they have a supermarkets.

George asks…

Where can I go in NC to get money for plastic bottles and aluminum cans/?

Looking for recycling money.

The Expert answers:

Go to www.earth911.com, to find your local recycle center, they will give you location, hours and a list of items each center takes. You can call or follow a link to see what they pay.

Daniel asks…

What do I need to get started recycling cans, paper, & glass for money in Atlanta, GA?

I am trying to make a difference in the world. I want to be able to help others in any way I can. I thought recycling for money and then donating to various causes would be great because it’s a two-fold idea. It helps others plus helps the earth as well. I have no idea how to start or where I need to go to turn the materials in for money. It seems like here where I live it’s hard to find recycling resources vs. somewhere like California. Any amount of direction would be appreciated.

The Expert answers:

There are three things you need for a recycling business – a source of discarded materials, facilities in which to store and sort the recyclables, and outlets to which to sell the valuable materials and dispose of the valueless materials.

The last step is the hardest part. Before you do anything else, you need to find scrap buyers who will give you money for the materials you collect. In my town, there are places to sell paper sorted by color, pasteboard and corrugated cardboard, and sorted scrap metals (aluminum, copper, brass, steel,etc.) If there are no places to sell any salvaged materials, there is no way to make money from salvaging them. In my town, there are no buyers of glass. There are buyers of bottle and jar glass in my state, but there are no plate glass buyers within hundreds of miles.

One you have identified materials for which there are local buyers, and other materials which will be accepted for recycling by local agencies, you can set up a sorting facility and develop collection methods. The key is to acquire waste with high proportions of high value salvage, separate them out at low cost, and get them to the buyer at low cost, thus making a profit on the whole exercise. High volume is necessary because you will have lots of stuff left to throw away, and the cost of disposal must be more than covered by the income from sales.

Ken asks…

Who get the money for recycling?

My husband will not contribute on a daily basis to our collection of things to recycle. In fact, I have to get HIS soda cans out of the trash to recycle. But when it comes time to turn everything in – guess who claims the money!! My son has collected cans from school as well as what cans he sees beside the road. Since he does this I was going to let him keep the money this year but my husband says no. He won’t tell me why he wants the money but he says since he has to drive the truck to the recycling center (an hour away) that he gets the money. I was willing to compromise and say that whatever gas it took that he could keep that out of the recycling money – he says no – that since he makes more money than I do that he has contributed more to the family so he should get something back in return. I disagree since my son put work into this project and my husband has not put the first can in – only driving the truck. What do you think?
I agree that my husband is being selfish. But what makes me the angriest about this is that at each payday (twice a month for him) he wants $500/payday for his own – I am not to ask where it goes and if I do then I get a glare from him. He wants me to pay the bills out of my check and then when I am down to no money, he wants me to ask him for it and then I have to tell him where it goes or else he won’t give it to me. I had hoped that with my son recycling that at least he could have some extra spending money without having to ask for it (and then having to explain why he wants it). This is may sound stupid but something this “petty” is getting to be the straw that breaks the camels back. We have separated before but he came back – now I am beginning to have doubts about letting him come back with something this stupid happening.

The Expert answers:

It’s a sorry individual to take a child’s money like that. Your son should get every Penny. Your husband is a greedy penny pincher, who has no passion for his son. That’s a shame. If my son was picking up cans and such, I wouldn’t only contribute, I would help him out, and get mad at him if he even thought about giving me a penny of the money. I would want him to buy something he wanted and I would be tickled pink for my son. Your husband is hard hearted. It’s a shame.

Chris asks…

do you make more money recycling bottles and cans for 5cents each or by the weight?

The Expert answers:

Here the redemption value is based on the volume of the containers.
Larger than 24 oz is twice the value but not always twice the weight.
Remember that the value they place when they do it by weight is a high average.
I have always felt better about getting a per item refund rather than the bulk rate.

Sandy asks…

Recycling Money easy to make?

so i was wondering first is a pop tab worth more than a can? also i am 13 years old and the reason i am recycling is because i need some money but are aluminum cans the best thing to recycle and if not what is the best thing to recycle that go’s for the most money?

The Expert answers:

There have been hoaxes involving the saving of pop-tabs supposedly for some child needing expensive medical care, or to help Ronald McDonald Houses. They are exactly that — hoaxes. Have you ever seen a sign in a hospital or doctor’s office “Turn in your aluminum pop-tabs here”? Nope, and you won’t, either. Back to your question, though……Pop tabs, cans and other aluminum scrap are only worth their salvage weight. It all gets melted down the same way. I am almost 60 years older than you, retired, and I don’t need the money, but I usually pick up flattened cans if they are near my path across the parking lot, and I throw them into a barrel when I get home. Then when the barrel is full (several months), I give them to my grass-cutting guy for him to turn in for cash. He needs the money much more than I do. It’s also the environmentally responsible way to keep things out of the landfills. Not an environmentalist wacko/tree-hugger, but I do what I can without offending or demonstrating.

A 13-year-old boy or girl might do well to consider baby-sitting, mowing grass, trimming hedges, shoveling snow, tutoring younger children in subjects you know well, walking dogs, etc. If a neighbor is out of town, they might hire you to check on their pet, feed and water them, and take in the mail and newspaper every day so it doesn’t begin to look like an abandoned house. Neighbors, especially old or handicapped, might need you to go pick up some item at a nearby store. Billionaire Bill Gates started a traffic counter service (computerized, of course), when he was still in high school. Now look at him.

Your work ethic and attitude in your life’s journey, will ultimately be worth more than a specific choice of roads to get you there. I wish you well, young person. I’m counting on you to achieve your goals.

James asks…

Do you think extending recycling program money for trash could be as effective as money for cans/bottles, etc?

Why or why not?

The Expert answers:

As a garbage man/recycler I would have to see the details. Generally a bounty on trash is an interesting idea…say as a carbon credit for the haulers. Expand on your idea please.

Carol asks…

Recycling money?

Is there a websie that says where yyou can bring your cans and get payed for it. In fox lake, gurnee, lake villa, antioch illinois or lake county illinois preferably. THANKS!

The Expert answers:

I dont know about the websites but a lot of grocery stores do it now days

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