Recycle For Cash

Do you need some money? You can recycle for cash. Since people throw away recyclables which you can get for free, that means that the money you get paid for recycling is actually free. How much you can get paid or whether the time is worth it will be up to you. AF.c doesn’t necessarily promote this strategy as the best way to get free money, but it is a strategy that can supplement other strategies.

Dumpster diving is a viable method of getting free stuff. If you’re dumpster diving anyway, why not make the most of it? There are even niche markets for specific items of trash, such as car batteries and unused glucose test strips. Recyclable plastics and metals are no exception.

The amount that you can get paid for recycling or whether you can get paid at all will depend on where you live and the recycling resources that are available. You may have noticed that a recycle value is even printed on cans or bottles, such as 5 cents or 10 cents. Some recycle centers honor that value, some pay more and some pay less. Generally you have to accumulate multiple pounds of recyclable materials to get any substantial amounts of cash. You might fill up a truck bed full of crushed soda cans and end up with enough to buy a meal for two. Again, that’s why it’s more of a supplemental strategy. While you’re dumpster diving you can also look for coupons or rewards codes under soda caps or on scratch n’ win packaging.

Cities that have a blue recycle container in the neighborhoods and a recycling center are just making it easy for you. All you need is a truck, some bags for organizing the materials and proper timing. Find out when each neighborhood has “trash day” for recyclables and go dumpster diving the night before.

Traditional recycling materials include paper, plastic, tin, aluminum, clear glass and green glass. However, you may be surprised that the list includes many other items such as cardboard boxes, cell phones, computers, other electronics, batteries, compact discs, ink cartridges, etc.

Here is a guide on plastic recycling symbols commonly found on the packaging of US products:

  1. PETE or PET – Polyethylene Terephthalate. This is normally found on plastic beverage bottles and other food plastic bottles and containers.
  2. HDPE – High-Density Polyethylene. This is normally found on plastic bottles and containers for laundry detergent and other home cleaning products, home maintenance products and car products.
  3. V or PVC – Vinyl. This the same plastic used in PVC pipes. It’s also found in medical equipment and other industrial products.
  4. LDPE – Low-Density Polyethylene. Mostly commonly the plastic in plastic grocery bags.
  5. PP – Polypropylene. Found in medicine bottles, bottle caps, some yogurt containers.
  6. PS – Polystyrene or Styrofoam. Used for egg cartons and packaging.
  7. Miscellaneous plastics. Includes CDs, DVDs, eyeglasses and various other products.

1, 2 and 5 are the only ones accepted in city curbside recycling programs. The remaining numbers will require very specific recycling centers.

For more tips and information on recycling see How2Recycle.info.

For resources on getting paid to recycle, see the Cash For Stuff Directory. This will list specific niche markets for certain items that you might find while dumpster diving or when using other strategies for getting Free Stuff. RecycleNation is one resource that you can start with to find a recycling center near you.

Actually Free