Helping the Earth Can Feel Very Rewarding

3 Tips To Help You Get The Most Money For Your Recycled Cans

Many Americans today are interested in finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Recycling can be an excellent way to reduce the negative impact you have on the environment, and it can also be a great way to earn a little extra cash.

Here are three tips you can use to help you get more money for your recycled cans in the future.

1. Work with your neighbors to generate as many cans as possible.

Many recycling centers pay by the pound when it comes to trading in aluminum cans. It's estimated that it takes about 34 aluminum cans to equal one pound of recyclable material, so collecting your neighbors' cans as well as your own can increase the number of pounds you recycle each year.

Most neighbors will be happy to help out, and you will be helping to reduce landfill waste by recycling cans that wouldn't otherwise be recycled.

2. Be sure that all the cans you are recycling are completely empty.

Before you bag up your aluminum cans and take them to the recycling center, be sure that there is no soda or other fluid left in any of the cans. The recycling center will check for the presence of liquid when weighing in your cans. A significant amount of weight will be deducted to compensate for the liquid weight if the recycling center detects liquid.

Since the amount deducted can sometimes be greater than the actual amount of liquid present, failing to completely empty out your cans could cause you to lose money. Taking the time to empty out each can before bagging it up is a simple way to ensure the amount of money you get paid for your recycled cans.

3. Become familiar with fluctuations in the price of aluminum.

Taking the time to learn how to read fluctuations in the price of raw aluminum can help you increase the amount of money you receive for your recycled cans. Most recycling centers pay consumers according to the current market price of the raw materials they bring in.

By watching the market to determine when aluminum prices are high, you will be able to maximize the amount of money you make from recycling your aluminum cans in the future.

Generating extra cash by recycling aluminum cans doesn't have to be difficult. Be sure that you are getting the most money for your cans by taking up a neighborhood collection, emptying any liquid prior to recycling, and waiting for market prices to peak before taking your cans to a recycling center.


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