It’s actually somewhat easy to make some money or earn some benefits by recycling and reusing products.  First off, recycling is a good thing no matter how you look at it.  Landfills are increasing in size drastically every day, and will only continue to grow as we use up more resources.  Recycling is the answer to, at least, reducing the amount of landfill space we take up.  It also limits the need for cutting down as many trees for paper products, reduces the amount of oil, water, and other natural resources used to make plastics, metals, and glass products.  By recycling, you’re helping to clean up the earth for future generations.  However, it’s also good to make money while doing this.  You’re probably not going to get rich by doing this, but any amount of money can help, and once you get into a routine of recycling, it doesn’t take much extra time to separate your recycled products from your non-recycled products.

  

1. Recyclebank.com:  This is my favorite of all the ways to make money recycling. I was already recycling when I found out about this, so to me, this was a no brainer.   http://www.recyclebank.com is a service that monitors how much you recycle, and then gives you reward points based on the weight of your recycled goods.  The points can be redeemed for discounts to local stores, restaurants, magazines, products, and most importantly, 10 dollar gift cards (Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Home Depot, and more).  It usually takes about 1225 points to get one of these 10 dollar gift cards which takes me about 3 to 4 months of recycling to get, but since I was already recycling, it was worth it.  There are also ways to speed up the process.  I had too many recyclables for my existing recycle container, so I ordered an extra recycle bin which helped me rack up points even faster.  Also, I found that my work doesn’t recycle, so I put out a trash can for recyclables at work, and then take it home to my recycle bins every few days.  It’s very easy to earn points once you get started.  It also shows you how many resources you’ve saved by recycling (see image below).  Go to recyclebank.com for more info.

                              

 

2. Composting:  I know what you’re thinking.  Dirt is cheap.  You’re right, but like I said, we’re just talking about saving or making a little money, not how to become a millionaire recycling.  So, instead of throwing all my extra scrap vegetables in the trash, I started throwing them out in pile in the backyard.  I originally didn’t expect to do much with it, but eventually the pile started to grow, so I decided to throw other things in there such as yard clippings and dead leaves.  The pile grew big enough and was comprised of such rich dirt, that I started using it to level sections of the yard, and in my small garden which saves more money since I’m now growing my own vegetables and herbs out of my compost pile.  Of course, once you get into this further, you’ll probably want to build a compost bin, and aerate the pile.  So, I saved money by not having to spend money on good soil, and reduced my grocery bill since I’m using that soil to grow vegetables.

 

3. Recycling Rain:  I don’t see many people doing this, but this can be a real saver of money in the summer months of most areas of the US.  I’m talking about using Rain Barrels to recycle the rain.  I have my gutters setup to flow all rain water in my rain barrels.  I’ve sunk a submersible pump into the bottom of the rain barrels, and when summer comes around (when there are water restrictions in my area), I use my saved up rain water to water my lawn and garden.  This saves a ton on my water bill in the summer months.

 

4. Recycled Paints:  Many cities in the US recycle paints and give them away to their citizens.  Next time you have to paint a room in your house, instead of going to the local hardware store to spend 50 to 150 bucks on paint, check with your local city to see if they have a recycle paint program.  This can save you money on your next home improvement project.

 

5. Job from green company:  The “Green Industry” is booming right now.  It’s a good time to look for a job with a company that’s responsible for recycling, solar or wind power production, or with the government since that is a high priority with the current administration.

 

 

6. Unused Items:  There’s no need to throw away old unused items such as cloths, furniture, toys, etc.  Instead, get on ebay or craiglist and see if you can sell the items (what’s one man’s trash is another man’s treasure).  If you can’t sell the items, just go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and donate it.  You will get tax deductions for this which can further save you money.

 

7. Reusable Grocery Bags: Now this isn’t a big savings, but it’s actually kind of convenient.  Instead of using the paper or plastic bags at grocery stores, use re-usable grocery bags.  This will limit the amount of trash/recyclables you have to throw away, and will save you a small amount of money on your grocery bill.  (usually 5 cents per bag depending on the store)

 

8. Cans: Go to a local recycle center that pays for cans.  Also, many grocery store parking lots around the country have recycle can centers where you can insert aluminum cans, and get back money depending on how much you place in the bin.  Although, if this is too much hassle (it is for me), I just recycle it in my recycle bin, to get more points from recycle bank.

 

9. Batteries:  It’s really hard to make much money recycling batteries since most companies want to buy batteries by the ton.  However, you can get rid of these batteries, without filling up the land fills, by bringing them to Home Depot for recycling.  Also, Car Batteries (made of Lead Acid), can be sold for usually around 7 dollars a battery.  Check your local auto stores to see if they purchase batteries.  You can also go to http://www.cf-core.com/batteries.htm to sell used car batteries.

 

10. Computers and electronics:  It’s not easy to dispose of computers since they have parts that are not supposed to be put in our landfills.  Usually, you are actually charged a fee for disposing of computer equipment.  So, instead of being charged a fee, disassemble and sell parts on ebay or craigslist.  If you’d rather not hassle with doing that, you can also donate the old computer to various non-profit organizations (such as Salvation Army and Goodwill), and take a tax deduction which will save you money at tax time.  You can also turn in old toner cartridges to Staples for store credit.