As much as it is good for the environment, recycling also allows people to make some extra money in cash. Common recyclable materials include plastic, paper, aluminum, scrap metal, glass, and batteries. To find out more about specific examples of these materials and some more items that can be recycled, read below. 

How Much Money Can be Made by Recycling?

Almost everything people use in their daily lives can be recycled. Here are some examples of recyclable things that are found commonly:

Aluminum cans

Aluminum cans are one of the items everybody recycles. They are found in almost every home. There are soda cans sold almost everywhere and everyone has easy access to these cans. They are commonly recycled. 

Recycling a kilo of these aluminum cans will be worth 40 to 60 pennies. A kilo of aluminum cans would be around sixty to sixty-five cans.

The important detail to look out for before recycling your soda cans is to make sure the material is aluminum. If it is not aluminum, it cannot be recycled.

Plastic bottles

It is essential to recycle plastic bottles. Plastic is infamously known for the harm it has on the environment. Therefore, under any circumstances, plastic should always be recycled. Recycle bins are always an option, but when making money is in question, there are some other and more reliable options. For example, some stores accept plastic bottles with cash in return. Sainsbury’s gives coupons for 5 pennies per bottle. 

Essentially, it is important to recycle plastic bottles, and stores which give coupons or store points in return are quite abundant in every state. 

Glass bottles

Alongside aluminum cans and plastic bottles, glass bottles are commonly recycled, too. You can make good money recycling glass bottles. Ten states in the US have a bottle bill, which is essentially made to minimize the use of non-refillable bottles. These states are New York, Michigan, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon, California, and Connecticut. In these states, thanks to the bottle bill, you can redeem your glass bottles in exchange for some cash. One bottle is worth around five to ten cents. 

Scrap metal

If you have any scrap metal lying around in your house or your garage, recycling them would be the best thing to do. Steel is a great material to recycle because chances are, the one you have had already been recycled. Steel can be recycled over and over again and it stays exactly the same. Aluminum, copper, and brass are also some recyclable metal materials.

Old clothes

Giving your old clothes to charity is always a viable option. However, there are more things to do than giving away old clothes when wanting to get rid of them. H&M, the clothing brand, takes old clothing items in exchange for approximately five dollars. 

Wine corks

Wine corks are the one thing that not many people know can be recycled. But they can be sold online, for example, on eBay. It surely will not make a lot of money, but at the end of the day, cash is cash. At least it provides an extra sum of money, and, obviously, recycling everything one can is also good for the resources and the environment. 

Car batteries

AutoZone, Advance Auto, etc. These are some of the stores that will accept your old car battery in exchange for cash. Once your battery has died, you do not have any more use for it, so why not sell it for some pocket money? It is possible to sell old car batteries for ten dollars. A good alternative to just throwing them away. 

Ink cartridges 

After using up the ink, remember to keep the cartridges and not throw them away. Because they are good for both selling and recycling. Selling them would be quite a smart decision since they cost a good sum of money. Single-color ones will cost around ten pennies, but multi-color cartridges will be worth around four dollars.

Electronics

All kinds of electronics are reusable. You can sell your electronic devices everywhere, whether they still work or not. If they do, finding a buyer is quite easy. If not, do not worry, their material can always be used to build different devices, or some devices may be bought as collectible items everywhere. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, recycling is a crucial activity for our world and the environment because most of our materials are reusable and rebuildable. And it does not hurt to make some extra cash from recycling our used and owned materials. As listed above, aluminum, steel, glass, plastic, electronics… a lot of commonly used items can be recycled in exchange for money.