A while ago I wrote an article on Wise Bread titled Five Ways to Squeeze Savings from Your Workplace. One of the commenters wrote that she actually collects cans and bottles at work and then turn them in at the recycling center for a little bit of money. I thought that was pretty funny, but I do drink quite a few bottled waters and soft drinks at work. I also bring home a few drinks that the hubby likes so we discard quite a few bottles and cans each week. Lately I have been feeling guilty about throwing those bottles and cans away. Finally, last week I sort of broke down and brought a plastic bag to work and collected the bottles and cans I used. On Friday I took the dozen or so cans and bottle I collected at work and today I sold them all at the recycling center along with a pile of other bottles and cans I collected outside on the patio. I got enough money to buy a rotisserie chicken, and I was pretty happy about it.
My hubby mocked me a bit and said, “Wow! Months of saving and all you got was a chicken!” I was still pretty proud of it because I got the chicken by recycling! If I were a bit more systematic about my recycling I could earn a few bucks a week and that could cover quite a few expenses. Here’s what I could possibly gain by turning in those bottles and cans.
Rotisserie chicken or burrito - $5 to $7 - Required recycling: 3 to 6 cans a day for a month (This is pretty easy to do between the two of us).
Laundry money - $10 to $15 a month - Required recycling: 6 to 10 cans a day (Sometimes I do drink 2 to 3 of the small bottled orange juices at work so this amount of recycling is definitely reachable).
Internet bill - $36 a month - Required recycling: 20 to 25 cans/bottles a day (This would require collecting other people’s bottles and cans but it is feasible.)
Gas money for my car - $100 a month - Required recycling: 60 to 100 cans a day (Okay this one probably requires me to be a full time dumpster diver so I probably won’t do it).
Now I have to admit that my mom is probably going to read this article and call me and say, “don’t be so damn cheap! You don’t need to be a real bag lady!” However, I think I will stick to turning in at least the bottles and cans my hubby and I produce everyday. A chicken or burrito every month for recycling waste is still a pretty good incentive to me!
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10 comments ↓
This seems to be a good idea.
Except that I just cannot shake off the thought that if we drink enough to get some useful money from the recycled cans, perhaps we should also look at changing our drinks.
Still you know better what you want to drink. And the act of recycling is in itself a great plus.
Good for you.
I think that’s a great idea.
Here in Canada (or Toronto at least) you don’t get paid for recycling however we put the recycling out with the trash each week so it’s pretty easy to do.
Mike
Yah! I LOVE free! Plus the chicken is really a bonus isn’t it. Think about how much landfill could be avoided if everyone did this. We actually pay a deposit on our cans and bottles which gets refunded at a recycle centre. We’re the only state which does this (here in Australia) and it’s made a HUGE difference to the amount of litter left lying around.
Wow! With my diet Coke habit, I could easily pay the laundry each month (according to your post). Definitely something to think about.
I loved the post, you thought it out very logically.
I agree with fathersez in that “the act of recycling is in itself a great plus.”
I would love to do this and it might be the only way to keep my darn hubby from throwing cans in the garbage. But I have NO idea where our recycling place is around here. And I don’t even know if we have one that will pay us. If it’s too far away it may not be worth the gas. =) I’ll have to look into it though.
Ya know……i think you made a great point here. Between the kids and I we could probably make enough for 2 chickens or Sunday Matinee movie tickets. A free meal or a movie while helping the planet is a pretty good thing. Thanks for this……i shall explain this to The Bratz today.
Have you thought about collecting other peoples cans in the office as well to speed the process?
I hope none of us are drinking so much beers that recycling the bottles is enough to pay off the medical bills.
Over in Croatia, plastic or glass bottles can be sold for recycling at 5 pence (GBP) each. It’s great!
Well done! I could not have done it better myself. You have broken down everything so systematically that even I think it is highly achievable. The hubby can mock all he like but a chicken is a chicken
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