Recycling is a benefit not only for the environment, but also for your wallet, especially if some items are recycled that could give you some extra money for your expenses. The easiest items to recycle to get some advantage are aluminum cans and plastic bottles, since they can be delivered to recycling centers, where they pay by weight or according to the number of items delivered. Read the following and you will know how to recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles and, at the same time, make a profit.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Prepare for Recycling
Step 1. Identify the states and countries where the laws govern the deposit for the return vacuum
In 1971 Oregon was the first state in the U. S. A. to establish a deposit for the vacuum rendered under the direction of then Governor Thomas Lawson McCall. The law provides for a corresponding sum on each beverage container sold; When the consumer buys the drink, he pays a deposit which he can recover, returning the vacuum. However, in fact, many people throw away the vacuum, but by keeping it you have the opportunity to turn it into money.
- For an up-to-date list of states that allow filing for empties and other returned items, visit the Bottle Bill Resource Guide website (the state you live in may not have this, but if you live near the border of a state that regulates this incentive, you can collect cans and bottles and take them there to retrieve what is due).
- For a list of countries outside the United States that provide for return vacuum filing, visit the wikipedia Container deposit legislation page.
Step 2. Locate the depots and recycling centers
Recycling centers, which pay for aluminum by weight, are usually located in spaces belonging to companies that process metal or paper waste (even those located at paper wholesalers often pay to receive paper waste). The storage centers, which pay for aluminum cans and plastic bottles based on the number of empty spaces returned, are adjacent to or are located in supermarkets or large beverage shops.
Most deposit centers have a daily limit on the number of containers a person can return. The limits range from 48 to 500 and the most common are between 144 and 150
Step 3. Find out which items are accepted in the deposit centers
All states that have the deposit for the returned vacuum accept aluminum cans and plastic bottles used for carbonated beverages (beer and soda), while some states may take vacuums for non-carbonated beverages such as wine, spirits and water. Also, most of the warehousing centers, located at retailers, only accept vacuums from brands sold by them.
- Recently, in some storage centers it is also required that beverage containers bear a brand to identify if the item comes from that specific distributor that supplies the beverage in its commercial space.
- In addition, cans and bottles are required to be clean, empty, relatively intact and able to stand. Bent cans can be straightened by inserting a wooden or metal rod and pushing against the sides of the container (do not press too hard, otherwise you could completely damage the vacuum). Plastic bottles can be straightened in the same way or by blowing air inside.
Step 4. Look for labels indicating that the can or bottle is returnable
Aluminum cans are returnable if they have a label attached to the top or printed on the bottom. Bottles, on the other hand, have this information printed on the neck or side and sometimes directly on the bottle or cap side.
- Since the cans are printed and the bottles labeled in the bottling plants, this information identifies all the states where the vacuum can be returned to recover the deposit. However, it is possible that the can or bottle is not necessarily distributed in one of these states and, despite this, have a blank with a deposit that is not valid in your state.
- Remember, if a can or bottle is missing an identification code, you can still recycle it by taking it to a recycling center or using your city's recycling program.
Method 2 of 2: Deliver the Cans and Bottles
Step 1. Collect enough cans and bottles
Delivering a few kilos of aluminum cans or 6-12 packs of plastic bottles will not earn you much and could be even less convenient if you consider the cost of fuel required for transportation. Try to set aside at least the maximum number of empty returnable items allowed and / or various bags full of aluminum cans without a deposit guarantee; if necessary, you can always visit more than one center where you can deliver everything.
You can collect the empty spaces in your garage or basement during the winter or outside in the summer. Be warned, though, that the sugar left over in soda bottles can attract ants, bees, and wasps
Step 2. Separate returnable blanks from prohibited ones
The cans and bottles with identification codes will go to the storage centers. The cans without the code, on the other hand, will go to the aluminum recycling centers, while the bottles will go to your plastic bin.
Aluminum cans with no deposit guarantee can be squeezed so they take up less space and in this way you can deliver as much as possible in a few bags once. Deposit-guaranteed cans, on the other hand, are not accepted if they are deformed
Step 3. Separate the deposit-guaranteed cans from the non-guarantee cans
Most storage centers require cans and bottles to be separated. The bottles can be placed in cardboard boxes or plastic milk crates, while the cans should be placed in lower cardboard containers or in shallow boxes, in which to deliver them to the grocery store. These containers usually collect 24 pieces, so they will help you count the gaps and get an idea of the money you could get by delivering them.
Most storage centers have a number of empty containers, which you can use to organize the collection of your cans before delivering them
Step 4. Organize the collection of disposable blanks by brand
While not required, you can optimize the time spent collecting cans and bottles by organizing it according to brands (this will also make it easier for the center to return the containers and boxes you used for delivery if you want them back). Grocery stores receive different branded sodas from different dispensers and just as you return the vacuum to the store, they return the vacuums to the soda machines, which in turn ask you to select the vacuums based on the product line before delivery. to the correct distributor. Most distributors trade with the 3 largest groups: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Dr. Pepper / 7-Up. Below you will find a partial list of the products sold by each of these multinationals:
- Coca-Cola: Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Sprite, Fresca, Mr. Pibb, Barq's, Fanta, Tab
- PepsiCo: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Free, Pepsi Max, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist
- Dr. Pepper / 7-Up: Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, Diet 7-Up, Cherry 7-Up, A&W Root Beer, Crush, Diet Rite. Squirt
- Branded returnable vacuums can only be delivered to the warehouse center located in the store that sells that product. Therefore, separate the cans and bottles from those of other brands that you deliver to other centers for storage.
Step 5. Deliver the cans and bottles
It is useful to know in advance how many returnable vacuums you are storing, as many centers will ask you for their number instead of counting them for you. Any cans or bottles that the store does not sell will be returned to you, usually with the containers and boxes used for delivery. Payment can be made directly to the center or they can give you a receipt to deliver to the store to receive what is owed to you.
Advice
- Collecting deposit-guaranteed cans and bottles can be a good way to make cash for associations. The people of the association, by storing and delivering the returnable blanks, can increase the income in one go.
- You can also use the rings from the cans to make bracelets by passing wool threads through the hole. This way you will offer a way to generate revenue by recycling used items.
