Health & Fitness
Trash Is Not Always Trash: Part 2 - How To Maximize Your Recycling Profit
Follow up to recycling article and how the home user can benefit from county and state recycling programs.
Trash Is Not Always Trash: Part 2 – How to Maximize Your Recycling Profit
Our neighborhood recycling centers will take the general, most common items. Did you know that there is a state law that determines that if a store sells a certain volume of CRV containers, that they must provide a way for their customers to recycle them? That is why you will generally see recycling centers at grocery stores. I have no doubt that there are some large political undertones tied into that, but that is not the direction I am exploring at the moment. The talk here is about where to get the money for your goods.
In my last post, I made the point about people recycling used trash containers. I think that was a good thing to have happen, and with the Athens takeover, we now had a more cohesive look come trash day. Prior to our Athens takeover, did you notice the hundreds of trash cans in all shapes, colors, and states of disrepair? It was a cornucopia of trash cans, and forget it when it rained. Now we have a streamlined look. Here’s another look into the trash cans people gave away.
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The plastic is #2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). It is worth something. Athens gladly picked up unwanted trash cans from residents, which is good. However, think about the exponential numbers associated with that pickup. Taking five to 10 cans per house, adds up in weight. Let’s assume that 1M lbs. were collected. One million pounds is 500 Tons. Using a figure from HDPE recycling in China, in Guangdong, scrap colored bottles come out to approximately $736.00 USD See here and here. Based on those figures, $736 x 500 = $368,000. That’s a great amount of money. Athens was very smart to take that on, as recycling is big business. How can the home recycler get in on some of that money?
First, we have to use our resources. Head over to Earth911.com, for a comprehensive listing of centers near you. From there, you will find a wealth of information as to where to take various amounts of household items, that don’t get accepted at the common centers. I had exactly this problem this weekend. I had a solid brass radiator from my Jeep that had been sitting around for a year. I knew it was worth something, but where to take it? I had been told by a friend, to take it to “that place in Monrovia over by Peck road” That place would be Allan Company, located at 145 W. Duarte Road, Monrovia, CA 91016 (626) 303-4617. Keep in mind this is not an official endorsement, rather it is chronicling my experience.
Upon arriving at Allan Company, I waited in line with my radiator. It weighed in at 14lbs and change, which brought me $16.65. Not bad for “junk” that had been sitting. Their process is no different than any other recycling center. Weigh, get your ticket, and take that to the office. At first I was taken aback, as I had to give my license, fingerprint, and vehicle license plate number. What!? Upon asking why, I got the more in-depth answer. There’s a difference between CRV recycling and scrap / non-ferrous metals. They have security measures in place that help aid in the prevention of theft, i.e. Home Depot reporting a theft of 2000ft of copper pipe, and “surprisingly” it shows up at a recycling yard. If your recycling is honest, you need not worry.
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For getting paid, you have to wait 3 days (mandatory state law) for non CRV reclamation benefit. Otherwise, they will pay you on the spot. They will give cash up to $100, and issue a check if your amount exceeds that. For that, you can pick it up or have it mailed to you. The clerk also explained that there’s a small loop-hole. If you bring in non CRV items, make sure to bring a small amount of CRV. By adding that CRV onto your tally, they will be able to pay you that day. Nice to know.
When I picked my money I saw a lady with all sorts of items. I found out that they take the usual cans, glass, and plastics well as the colored plastic, tin, and much, much more. It might not be as much money as CRV containers, but it’s something. Her figures are skewed as she worked at Arcadia Methodist Hospital and was able to bring home various items from the kitchens. She said it’s not much, but generally $30 a week. That’s not bad at all. That $120/ month could cover anything, especially the cell-phone bill. Phone bill for free? Yes, I’ll take it.
Recycling – it’s available to us all, and it takes some effort. If you choose to take the time you can get some extra money (for nothing and your checks for free). It all comes back to the old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” The choice is yours. Take care.
PS – They take monitors, TV’s and computer towers as well.
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