The benefits of recycling for the planet and your wallet

While some might think that recycling is a rather new concept that only started a decade ago, the concept of recycling has always been around in many shapes and forms. We consciously started to recycle more around one century ago due to a shortage of resources and lengthy manufacturing processes with slogans like “Don’t waste it, save it!”. Nowadays, sustainability has become one of the main reasons why we urge people to recycle as much as they can. But we still have a long way to go because currently, we are only recycling 13% of global trash.

Recycling can have a huge positive impact if applied on a big enough scale. To give you an example, the aluminum production process requires 20 times as much energy as remelting old aluminum while the quality remains the same. What many people don’t realize is that recycling does not only benefit the environment. It also benefits society through job creation, and it can have economic benefits for you personally too. There are many ways to make money while recycling. In our efforts to increase overall recycling, we would like to share with you some easy and wallet-friendly recycling options:

1. Collect and sell

One of the easiest and fastest ways to make money from recycling is through what we call ‘collect and sell’. This means you simply collect used recycling materials such as plastic, cardboard, paper, and other ready-to-use waste materials to then, later on, sort and sell them to recycling companies or other companies interested in buying them. Nowadays, more and more reverse vending machines have become available all over the world. A reverse vending machine is a machine where people can return empty beverage containers such as bottles and cans for recycling. The machine afterward returns a deposit or refund to the user. An example of a popular company that offers a line of reverse vending and plastics recycling machines in the United States of America, Europe, South America, and the Asian Pacific rim, is Envipco.

2. Craftsmanship

If you’re creative and like to create ‘one-of-a-kind’ items, you can craft recyclables into objects and sell them afterward in a store or online. Nowadays you can find plenty of inspiration on the internet. Some examples of materials you could use are plastic packaging, glass jars, CDs, old clothes, and much more. If you are passionate about this, you can even take it a step further and use your skills to make furniture from recyclable materials such as pallets, wooden boxes, and tires. As you can see the possibilities are endless!

3. Secondhand clothing

You know that feeling when you ‘have nothing to wear’, but your closet is completely full of clothes that you don’t really wear anymore? Often you don’t want to throw away certain items because they cost you a lot of money or because you have barely worn them. If you are looking for an option other than donating your clothes to a charity, selling your clothes may be a good solution for you. Nowadays there are several options to sell your clothes quickly and safely, both in physical stores and online.

Many cities have many thrift stores and often organize second-hand markets. Some stores will pay you right away based on the weight, condition, and material of the clothing. Other shops, on the other hand, do not pay you immediately, but only after the clothing has been sold. It’s kind of like a ‘sales account’: you leave the clothes behind and they try to sell them to potential customers. If you prefer to sell your clothes online, Vinted and Depop are two nice and user-friendly apps that I definitely recommend trying out.

4. Recycle your old phone

Do you have an old phone at home that you store ‘just in case yours breaks’? Then you’ll be interested to learn that keeping valuable and rare metals in circulation is a good approach to saving our planet when it comes to mobile phones. Mobile phones are made out of precious minerals that are becoming increasingly scarce so reusing materials from old phones is a great way to go against the depletion of these minerals. Apple and Samsung offer the possibility of returning your old mobile phone or other electronic devices such as tablets and TVs to the store. Depending on the condition of your phone, you will receive a certain amount back in cash or you can buy a new phone at a cheaper price.

5. Refillable beauty products

Instead of throwing away beauty products when they are empty, some brands provide the possibility to give them a new life by simply refilling them. This way you not only help the planet by saving energy and materials, but it’s also a bit more economical on your wallet since refills are cheaper than the original product with the packaging. An example of a well-known brand that has a refill policy is Rituals. I would definitely advise you to check out your favorite cosmetic brand’s website to see whether they offer a refill policy as well!

Recycling is a great way to take responsibility for our actions and take care of our planet, but let’s not forget there are many other options out there to consciously make a difference. One of these other options is buying more sustainable products. Want to find out more about this topic? Make sure to read our blog Eco-friendly products to buy in 2022.