5 Ways to Recycle and Profit!

Making money from recycling seems to be a major incentive for people to practice environmental responsibility.

To that end, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies both online and offline that offer financial rewards for recycling a wide variety of materials. Some of the materials are quite common, while others may be a little harder to find but are generally worth the effort. There are hundreds of articles published every day on recyclable items, where you can find them, and what they are worth. Finding the right company that both accepts your recyclables and pays a decent rate may or may not be difficult depending on where you live. However, there are standard items that tend to be profitable, and those items are the ones I’m going to address in this blog.

1. Mobile Phones

Unwanted mobile phones may be one of the easiest and most profitable items that a person can recycle. After all, who doesn’t have an old mobile phone lying around? A recent study showed that on average, people own five mobile phones. This is especially true in the 18-24 year old market, the age group which is most likely to upgrade their mobile phones often.

Mobile phones can make you money in recycling

Why is recycling mobile phones important? Because the components in a mobile phone are highly reusable either in their present form or as scrap. Some companies donate used phones to charities or developing countries as a humanitarian gesture. Another reason for recycling mobile phones is that there are many toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process that are harmful to the environment. By recycling the phones, there is a much smaller chance that the toxic chemicals will leach into the ground and poison the earth. Since only four percent of mobile phones are recycled annually, it will be easy to find a source for old handsets in need of recycling. The moneymaking part comes in when a mobile phone is sent in to a takeback programme. These programmes are often offered through web sites or retail stores and will offer money for each phone that is turned in for recycling. The amount of money depends on the company, the make and model of the phone, and its overall condition. Many companies publish a standard fee of $3 per phone, although high-end equipment can fetch up to $150.

2. Office Supplies

When I talk about office supplies, I’m not referring to file cabinets and photocopiers. Actually, there are quite a large number of items in the workplace that can be recycled for money, but ink and toner cartridges seem to be the easiest to obtain and recycle. As with mobile phones, ink and toner cartridges are a popular item in manufacturer takeback programmes.

Change that printer cartridge quick - you could make a buck out of it!

Almost all cartridges are accepted, either refilled or recycled, and then resold. The cost of recycled cartridges is less; therefore, the recycled product is more appealing to consumers. Gathering and recycling ink cartridges is an easy process. Each cartridge recycles for an average of $3 per unit, although some companies offer more than $20 each. With an average of 300 million cartridges being thrown away every year in the U.S. alone, it’s easy to see why so many people collect and recycle them.

3. Metals

More likely than not, you have seen adverts in newspapers, magazines, or on television advertising for used silver and gold. There is a great deal of silver and gold on the market that is considered to be waste material. This often comes in the form of old jewelry or gold dental fillings. Other metals that are highly recyclable are copper, aluminium, and cadmium. The key with recycling metals is volume.

Not just a mountain of scrap metal, a mountain of money

Small quantities won’t net you much of a profit, but saving scrap and selling it in bulk can make a great deal of money. This is one reason why metals theft is a growing crime. When collecting materials for profit, however, one must be careful to not become overexposed as some metals can be harmful. One metal that should always be avoided is mercury, which is highly toxic.

One thing that many people do not know is that when a company buys old jewelry for metal content, they are not paid for any stones or other items included with the jewelry. If a person sells a diamond ring, for example, companies only pay for the metal, not the diamond. Savvy recyclers will remove the diamond and sell it to another source.

4. Electronics

In the same vein as mobile phones, every household probably has at least one or two pieces of electronic equipment that are no longer in use. This could be an old laptop, desktop computer, stereo, television, VCR, DVD player, etc. What good is an unused item in the house if the only thing it does is collect dust? There are a lot of outlets for used electronics, whether it’s for reuse or for recycling purposes.

Electronics can be recycled too

Many charity shops purchase, repair, and resell used electronics. This also holds true for assemblers, who tend to purchase used or broken items for parts. Probably the most important are companies that want to protect the environment from hazardous chemicals and will take your old electronics so they can safely dispose of the exist mercury, cadmium, and cathode ray tubes within them. Fees vary widely depending on the item and its condition.

5. Clothing

When thinking of items to recycle for profit, many people don’t consider clothing. However, clothing, like mobile phones, may be one of the easiest items to procure. Everyone has clothing that no longer fits or is no longer in style or in season.

Not ‘On Trend’ Enough? Recycle them

Taking these clothes to a charity shop or car boot sale is a quick way to make money. Although the prices for recycled clothing generally aren’t all that high, amassing a fair number of items can net a nice little profit. As with all things, be sure that the clothing is clean and in good condition.

All of these items are highly desirable and can be used to make a decent profit. In fact, some people recycle as a full-time job and make quite a nice living.

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