Some people collect cans and bottles to make some extra cash. In some states you can redeem 5 - 10 cents on each can or bottle. Does your state have bottle bills that allow you to cash in on bottles and cans?
I can't speak about the U.S. But I've also heard about this here in Portugal. In fact, I heard about a dude who rents a house, eats, and pretty much does his thing in life just by collecting cans. Apparently the dude goes around like with a shopping cart, or something... And he also had a nice way to scam the places who payed him. People should get something for recycling. That's for sure.
We have these programs here but unfortunately they don't pay as much but it still does add up so people still do it. Usually someone comes by looking for piles of newspapers, cans or bottles to buy or if you want to get more for your trash then you could go directly to the shops that recycle them. It really is very helpful and it's definitely much better than just throwing them all away since this at least gives you a bit payment.
Can, Bottles and cardboard can be recycled and you can earn a few pennies for your work. Certain metals and I heard of a lady that cuts the cords off certain small appliance to resale and make some money. By recycling items people are able to make some money and companies will have the materials to remake or repair broken parts that need a certain metal that is not made anymore.
Some companies do buy empty bottles and cans but we don't really go out of our way to make money off of these items. We simply give out extra bottles and cans to people who visit homes and collect them because it's their livelihood. Those people, in turn, sell what they got from households to factories.
My state does bottle return so it's a normal practice in most households I know to save them and return them. You will also see people with carriages and bags in public collecting them to cash in. Most bars and restaurants recycle them too. I never did it until I started living alone. I keep a bag that I throw them in and if it's full enough the next time I go to the grocery I do it. You are helping the environment plus getting a few dollars out of it so why not?
I am about to leave for work but I just had to share. My husband and I took back $64.80 worth of can/bottle returns yesterday. I have members of my family that refuse to take back can/bottle returns and I am not shy about taking them off their hands! They all know to call me and I will be there to pick them up! I love it!! It is a few minutes of my time, and sure, it can be messy, but collecting the cash from all of those slips is well worth it to me. I picked up a few grocery items and paid for my entire basket of items with what I brought back in can/bottle returns! That is money in my pocket that I can spend on something else. Or to put towards something else I want but can never afford. I think it is an awesome way to contribute more to my income each month and is well worth the little bit of time I have to spend doing it. Plus I am doing my part in recycling!!
In California, we pay an extra 5 or 10 cents depending upon the size of the bottle or can. It can really add up especially when you're buying a 24 pack of bottled water. I save all my bottles and cans to get back that money. I don't collect cans or bottles that I've purchased. It's a hassle. Plus, there are tons of homeless people who do it. There's too much competition.
Many homeless people do collect them and in liquor stores and supermarkets there are machines where you can cash them in. I think it's good although some people are snobby about it. My ex landlady was and said I didn't need to know how to do that, yet she is now homeless and living out of a RV. Regardless I think people should recycle money or not, and I am glad some homeless people utilize this. I saw a man on a bus with a bag full of cans and bottles and on the bus back he had several bags of groceries. I'm glad recycling is helping the community.
I return bottles, cans and glass bottles to get my money back since when we paid to have them, the stores charged us .10 cents each. It is nice to get my cash back and doing my part of the recycling those things.
I haven't done that yet although when I was 18 a friend of mine and myself thought that we could make extra money out of it. She had a lot of those plastic bottles and metal bottles so she sold them to a boy that buys them from people at a much lower price. So she ended up earning very little. I think she got ripped off because she had no idea about the regular rates.
I don't because it's too much of a bother to go to the place where you could get money for it. You would have to save a lot to get a good profit and it would be too much clutter to do that.
