This article takes a look at some of the best ways to make money recycling with ease especially if you are in search of a quick and legal source of supplementary income.

While the golden era of profiting from recycling may have passed, there are still ways in which you can make money from unwanted junk and garbage. The mental calculations have all be done in condensed in this article, to list some ideas that can be used to make money from discarded items. You can attain value from getting gift cards to even making real money, so it’s best to continue reading this article.

Prepare Items for Recycling

Find out from the nearest collection point if recyclables collected have to be prepared in any particular way before heading to the collection point.

Certain centers require bottles to have their caps removed, rinsed, and bagged in a particular manner or sorted, then tied together in a cardboard box. It is important to note the rules beforehand to save time. It is important to ensure that you correctly bag items for easy transfer. This is especially true if you rinse cans and bottles, as there could be some water or residue still in them.

If an electronic item or a mobile phone is being recycled, it is best to make sure all personal information such as voicemails, contact lists, photos, text messages, downloads, passwords, etc have been cleared off it. First Back up all information to a secure location (new phone, “the cloud”, computer), then factory reset the phone before recycling. This makes sure strangers are unable to access it and use it for nefarious purposes.

What to Recycle for Cash

There are items that can be recycled for cash, depending on the location and state the recycling center is. Below are a couple of popular options to recycle and their accompanying method.

Quirky Recyclables

Most people only consider cans and bottles when they hear the word recycling. However, varied strange items like food packaging to wine corks can also be recycled.

Scrap Metal

This is one of the recyclable items that are extremely profitable. This is one of the reasons why scrap metal is high on the list of stolen items. It is so apparent that community recycling receptors also get raided for those looking for scrap metal. Numerous recycling programs typically fund their services via the collection of scrap metal, so it is important to clarify the local statues on scrap metal collection.

Some scrap metal that can be recycled for cash includes aluminum, steel, and copper. As soon as you have collected the metal to a point, check if it is non-ferrous or ferrous by putting a magnet close to it. Should the metal stick to the magnet, it is ferrous and most likely iron or steel which are common metals. Metals as such are not typically worth a lot of money, however, it’s imperative to have them recycled. Should the magnet not stick, then the metal is likely stainless steel, bronze, brass, aluminum, or copper, and these metals attract a higher price.

It is best to first clarify what metals the local collection point to accept and learn the drop-off processes

Car-Batteries

Some auto part outlets offer gift cards to customers that bring their used or dead car batteries. When outlets such as these are not available, there are scrap metal yards that accept used batteries. The prices offered by these yards typically vary.

Bottles and Cans

There have been stories of people making over $1,000 from cashing in bottles and soda cans collected from various sources. This is a great way to make money, as you do not have to stick to one source. Events, family, and friends, and the workplace are sources to get cans and bottles.

California gives $0.05 for most glass and plastic bottles, and 24oz or smaller aluminum cans. While larger than 24oz containers get $0.10. While it is, in fact, a bottle deposit, most people tend not to collect the refunds due to them, which makes it easy cash for can and bottle collectors. Michigan offers a flat rate of $0.10 for every bottle. Numerous states pay for bottles and cans recycled, so it is best to find out the rates in your vicinity.

Electronics

There are numerous companies that offer money for old electronics and phones. Most companies accept tablets/phones in broken or working conditions, circuit boards, rechargeable batteries, and a variation of electronics. It does not matter if the item has water damage or is broken, companies accept them as they aim to reduce electronic waste in landfills that could harm the environment.

Numerous mobile phone providers such as AT&T and Verizon provide trade-in opportunities, which give customers gift cards, vouchers, or any other rewards in exchange for their old phone.

Some charities also take phones, either to repurpose them or make use of the funds gotten from recycling them to help others. An example is HopeLine which has over the years given 180,000 phones to victims and survivors of domestic violence. Additionally, the phones can be sold directly to its next user on online commerce sites such as eBay.

Cartridges

Office supply outlets such as Office Depot and Staples, typically help to recycle empty ink cartridges. Some stores like Staples pay $2 for every cartridge, limited to just 20 returns in a month. Other stores tend to make use of a points reward system for every cartridge recycled in a month. Office Depot, for example, does not put a limit on the number of cartridges that can be recycled. These points when earned can be used to get different discounts and perks, which is all used in the store.

Conclusion

The list above shows there are numerous ways to earn money from recycling and the steps involved. While this list is by no means exhaustive, these are a few of the most popular ways to recycle and make money from recycling ranging from the highly profitable recycling of scrap metal, phones and electronics, cans and bottles and of course quirky items that typically do not get considered when people want to recycle.