The world is drowning in waste materials. Plastic, metal, glass, as well as various other materials, are taking over. Many of us try and do our best to recycle or ensure we oversee the reuse of waste material but there are many items that are ending up in a landfill simply because people don’t know that they can be recycled.
As a part of waste things project, I would like to make people aware of things that can be recycled. Read on to find out how you could get involved in recycling for money and help protect the environment at the same time.
1. Old Car Parts
When you decide to get rid of your old and broken car and you are not in a position to just sell it on, make sure that you recycle the old parts. You don’t have to strip it down yourself, many scrap yards will come to you to pick your whole car up, though if you are able to drive it to them you might find that you will earn more money because they won’t have paid out truck costs. Just make sure you give your local scrap yard a call to check that they accept car parts before you head over there.
2. Craft Materials
Many local authorities do offer glass recycling but there is a way to re-use glass that doesn’t take up any more of the earth’s precious resources and earn yourself a bit of money. Take a look at any popular selling websites and you will see that they have listings for glass materials such as jam jars or wine bottles and that these listings sell.
This is because people are using them for craft projects, maybe to create candle holders or other pretty and DIY objects made from glass. You can also sell other products in this way, corks from wine bottles, toilet roll inners or plastic milk bottles. You will need to sell them in bulk and they will need to be clean and in good condition, but it’s a great way to recycle.
3. Metal
It is possible to make money by selling scrap metal. Steel recycling can earn yourself a tasty profit as can recycling copper wire for money. Copper is one of the non-ferrous metals. It is the most precious metal that you should set it aside when you take it to the scrap yet as this will boost your profits. Steel is priced low at the scrap yards but obviously, it’s still worth recycling both for your bank balance and for the good of the environment.
4. Hair
We’ve all heard of people selling or donating their hair when they decide to cut it off. Hair is actually in high-demand, wig-makers, extension manufacturers and hair weavers are all desperate to get their hands on real human hair. For that reason, selling your hair can be extremely lucrative, although prices do vary based on the shade of the hair and the length.
The hair will need to be unbleached and in good condition. You can also donate hair if you don’t need the money, it goes to children who have lost their own hair through illness. Either way selling or donating it is much better than it ending up in the hairdresser’s bin.
5. Ink Cartridges
Many stationers or office supply stores will accept used ink cartridges back to recycle them. They will offer the money back or at least a discount against further purchases within the store. Ink cartridges are really easy to recycle because they can just be filled with more ink and used again. Recycling them in this way is so much better than trusting that your local authority will do the right things with them. If they melt them down to create something else, it just uses up more of the planet’s resources unnecessarily.
Author Bio:
Aside from her full-time job as a creative content writer, Maryn Mcdonnell is a wellness-lifestyle writer who loves sharing tips and how-tos related to productivity, business and home improvement through her writing. Find Maryn on Twitter @MarynMcdonnell
