How to Earn Money Recycling Your Bottles

Every two weeks, I am able to earn between $30 - $40 recycling plastic bottles, wine bottles, aluminum cans and plastic milk cartons. You may say that is not much money however $60 - $80 a month equals $720 to $960 a year. That money I place into a certificate of deposit account which remains untouched. That account also accumulates interest which means more money. In today's economy, it's one of the many ways to make extra money on the side. Here is how I did it and hopefully, this will work for you.

For every family member that you have, ask them to begin saving their plastic and aluminum bottles. Begin by asking your parents then ask other close relatives. I have asked my parents to save their bottles in which they keep them in several large trash bags. I also asked my aunt who keeps a bag at her house and I keep various bags of recyclable products at my house. You can ask as many relatives as possible (cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). This is better than actually asking for money directly (no guilt involved). Every two weeks, I go to their homes to collect the bags and place them in my SUV. I then take all of the bags to my house where my sons and I sort out each of the bottles. I may have 12 bags outside in my backyard, and it may take a couple of hours (if not days) to sort each of the bags however we go through each bag sorting the plastic bottles, aluminum cans, plastic milk cartons, etc. My father loves to leave drops of water in the bottles, so my sons have to empty the bottles and discard the water. This is important since the recycling center will not take bottles that are filled with liquid.

Each week, I look at the newspaper or online (ie. The Recycler is a good place to look) to see which center will offer the most money. In other words, I find a location that pays the full amount of redemption values. Overall, this tends to take up some time (my weekends) but will pay much more.

What are the benefits to this process of recycling? I must admit, it has given my sons some extra chores thus giving them responsibility. The money that goes into their accounts, they are earning that money by sorting the products and discarding the water from the bottles. They are making money in innovative and creative ways, skills that will be useful to them later in life. As a family, we are learning how to reduce the amount of trash each week. We are also learning that recycling helps save our environment while reducing waste. Tell me if this works for you?