Comments on: Can You Make a Living Recycling 10 Cent Bottles and Cans?

By: mark

mark — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:12:24 +0000

yes thats right i live in australia i work for the local council as a concreter was trying to figure out how to make ends meet when speaking to a fellow workmate i was trying to figure out how he owned a nice harley and car when hes on the same money as me he said im not i earn about 10000 dollars a year more u said i how do you do that he said simple while at work if i see a can i pick it up and you dont.hence 10000 dollars a year extra. so guess what i do now.

mark . perth western australia

By: shwnna

shwnna — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:31:44 +0000

I just moved to colorado, from michigan. Ad I was wondering, I I save all my cans/lbottles can I take them back to michigan and get money for them? I’m going up their for christmas, and my husband has been throwing them away…

By: "For Ale"

"For Ale" — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:41:46 +0000

In MA, I make an average of $20 a day collecting cans. I have a cart that attaches to my bicycle and can hold $40+ on a good day with bungee cords. If I have more cans than I can safely carry, I hide bags of cans until I can retrieve them. In college towns where there are large parties, cans are all over the street and on lawns. In residential areas, there are recycling bins that are put out every week. It’s hit or miss at first when checking bins for cans that fetch a deposit, but I quickly learned how to predict which bins are likely to have cans (large bins with cardboard soda/beer cartons are usually fruitful, for example.) Kicking at garbage bags for that distinctively aluminum jingle helps. It’s the same people who put their cans out every week. A good memory for houses and geography saves time. I hunt by flashlight at 2:30 AM or earlier because there is competition. Though, some people don’t put their recycling out until the next day, and by hunting after dawn, one is able to pick through these bins, too. People are more likely to cause you trouble if they know you are out there.

I know I switched from first to second person. Don’t care about continuity at this point.

Also, I studied for 5 years in college.

By: Wojo

Wojo — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 19:27:11 +0000

Sounds pretty smart to me! Too bad I gave up soda a while ago.

By: Hector

Hector — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 19:14:54 +0000

i know this is going to sound insane but i get 20oz sodas for .25 cents! the company i work for has a huge vending machine and soda is .25 cents so i dig the trash (yes i dig i have no shame we were once cavemen get over it) i can buy a soda for .25 cents get a nickle back (so i paid .20 cents) and 3 points to my coke rewards not bad

By: markkuss

markkuss — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:44:36 +0000

Costco sells their Kirkland brand mineral water in 500 ml bottles (16.9 oz)
for $3.60 a case. there are 35 bottles in a case!
We usually go through 3 cases every two weeks, If i could return these bottles at a rate of $0.05 each, I’d be getting 50% back!!!
Unfortunately, the deposit is returned only in Oregon, Maine and Hawaii.
But I guess that’show they charge only 3.60 a case, instead of $5 or 6 like they do for Ice Mountain or Poland Spring.

Great article, btw!

By: Wojo

Wojo — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:38:20 +0000

Wow, you’re doing awesome! I’m glad the community is getting behind the cause as well. Keep us posted, won’t you?

By: Cathy Anderson

Cathy Anderson — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:15:54 +0000

I live in Minnesota and the local recycling business gives us fifty cents per pound. It doesn’t sound like much but it does add up. My husband and I have started an adoption aluminum can drive to cover our travel expense for 2 trips to the Ukraine. So far we have gotten local companies to assist us and in two weeks time have made well over $200. Doesn’t sound like much but it adds up. We just signed up a local middle school to our cause and have requested the public high schools and other middle schools to join our drive. If you network, promote and your local area recycles, then it is well worth doing. First to benefit the individual but it simply is the right thing to do.

By: THEATEAM

THEATEAM — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:21:18 +0000

CAS is incorrect The price here in Michigan is cheaper for beverages than most states even ones without deposits, plus alot of states have higher sales tax. But you would need a vehicle that was extreamily good on gas, but it is good extra income, plus there are alot of things people get rid of that you can get money for that are in realy good shape or need alittle fixing up, p.s. you can return some bottles and cans from other states I drive truck so i always keep my emties and pick up a few when im parked and have to walk to get somthing to eat or somthing.

By: Jared

Jared — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:45:41 +0000

Well I’m located in the midwest here, and I earn on average $20 dollars a day collecting cans. I do this 5 days a week, so that’s around $400 extra dollars per month plus I also collect coper wire. Not bad for trash diving. That $400 dollars comes in handy.