I am a big fan of recycling and even a bigger fan of getting paid for recycling.
If you browse MoenyPantry, you’ll notice a dozen or so posts on various forms of earning extra money while recycling your old and unused material.
We’ve covered anything from recycling newspapers, and cardboard boxes, to aluminum cans, electronics, and even tires.
But those are not the only kind of material you can recycle for a little side money. Today we are going to show you a few weird and unique ways you can recycle for extra cash.
1. Old Wine Corks
You think you can’t make money by recycling those old wine corks?
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Take a look at Etsy and the many sellers who are actually making good money creating awesome works of art out of used wine corks, like this one and this one.
Empty wine bottles and old wine corks are in-demand crafting items for many creative people.
Selling these items on eBay or other similar sites like Etsy can earn you a little extra cash.
2. Photos of Your Recyclables
An app sponsored by Waste Management actually offers you rewards for sending in pictures of your recycled goods.
The app is called Recycle Pix Update: No longer in operation
It’s based on a very cool and kind of crazy concept; they want to see what people are recycling, so to gather this information and to entice recyclers to share that info, they’re offering rewards for pictures of what you recycle.
That’s right, you earn points you can redeem for prizes for taking pictures of your recyclables.
3. Ship Your Garbage to Terracycle
Ok, how about earning rewards for your trash?
Yes, it’s real, thanks to Terracycle.
I love what this company is doing. They are pushing the envelope further than anyone has ever pushed.
Their mission is to recycle as many things as possible, even things we all think are non-recyclable.
They actually work with a dozen or so manufacturers and companies to recycle the packaging materials these manufacturers use for their products, anything from Capri Sun pouches to Everpure Water Filters, Performance Nutrition bottles, and even cigarette waste.
You join one or more of these programs so you can send in your empty containers. For every item you send in, you earn points that can be redeemed for charitable gifts, TerraCycle products, or a donation to a school or non-profit of your choice.
To me, this is a win-win situation.
You get to hit two birds with one stone:
- You help the environment by recycling things you never even thought was possible
- And you also get to use your points to help a charity of your choice
I really encourage you to join this program. It just can’t get any better than this.
4. Earn Points for Learning about recycling
Yes, there is a company that not only rewards you for recycling, they’ll also give you points for learning about recycling.
It is called Recycle Bank, and it’s one of my favorite companies when it comes to recycling.
The points you earn can be used to get local deals and exclusive discounts on sustainable goods.
Takeaway
If you haven’t started recycling yet because you just couldn’t find the motivation for it, the many incentives mentioned in this post should be enough to get you started.
Sure, nobody is getting rich by recycling, but what’s better than doing something good for the planet we all live on while helping a charity or putting a few extra dollars in your pocket.
Wow- never knew corks could fetch me money.. glad I saw this thanks : )
Keep in mind too- if you start collecting cans, copper wire and other commodities? Don’t be in such a rush to sell them quickly. Commodities fluctuate quite a bit in price throughout the year and with a little effort and watching the prices weekly or monthly you can take advantage of huge price spikes. Just a suggestion.
I have been recycling/scrapping for almost 20 years.. a great hobby and well worth it. I also do about 2 dozen internet tasks for spare cash.. If interested take a look at my blog- youd be surprised how easily it is to make an extra $50-100 a month doing internet searches (bing/Microsoft offer a great program) and many other tasks..
Thanks for sharing your expertise, Paulann.
We have like 3 refrigerators 2 freezers BBQers and want make money if we can
Anna, check out this post: Get $50 Cash for Your Old Fridge.