Do you Recycle bottles and Cans?

[Aleta]

The problem with recycling is that some want you to clean up the can and remove the label. Since, we are having problems with a water shortage; I don't know how efficient that is. You're using one resource to save another one.

[ktmarvels]

I just moved from Oregon (which has a deposit on cans) to Florida (which doesn't). I've been seeing cans on the side of the road and would like to recycle them for $$, but I don't really even know how to begin. Do all recycling places accept them for money? Do they need to be in any particular condition?

[kealina]

our center (which conveniently is fairly close by) pays 5 cents a can/bottle for certain containers... we recycle those whenever we get pretty full and usually make $15 or so every month and a half... we drink tons of water so our cans add up slowly even tho we collect cans other places as well...

we also recycle whatever else they accept as well as dropping off our newspapers at the elementary school recycle center down the street... that's more environmental than anything else... we always try to find another home for stuff before we trash it...

[Ima saver]

I don't think we have anyplace that pays for cans around here, so mine just go in the garbage.

[PetMom]

I use our recycle bin and have already been in the habit for a long
time to recycle things (I even recycle toilet paper rolls). I did not
realize that garbage bags were going up in price so in a way
I am saving by recycling as much as possible - I use less
garbage bags.

I don't have a garbage disposal in my sink
(it broke when we moved in and I never wanted to get
it fixed plus it takes electric power to run). I learned from
someone to put food waste into a plastic store bag and
freeze it until ready for garbage day. That way I don't have
smelly garbage (food causes most smells in garbage can).
We reserve one little section of our refridgerator freezer
for this.

We use a shredder for personal papers and I take the
shreddings and put in my compost and it seems to do well.

I had not known that aluminum cans fetched so much, but now
will be more on the look out for them. A man at my park I walk
at gets there at 6:30 a.m. (during daylight savings time) and
goes over all the garbage on Sunday and Mondays - now I
know why.

We set out an old broken dishwasher and someone drove
by and picked it up before the garbage could collect it. My
husband used to work with a landfill and people would pick
up things like this and take it in for money for the scrap
metal money.

[baking23]

We also have curbside recycling for 1,2 plastics, newspapers, pasteboard (cereal boxes), and cans (food or pop). My family will horde corrugated cardboard, office paper, shredded paper, aluminum foil, batteries, and Styrofoam and take those into a big downtown recycling center every few months.

[crow67]

we save our cans (hub even bought a crusher, guess it's a man thing) it's going to be our spending money for the summer of camping. He's also a plumber and we have piles of scrap copper in our garage. The guy he works for also saves (they don't always work the same job) and they go in together and split the money. Last time it was near $300 for just picking up scraps around job sites.

[DayByDay]

I just looked up the recycle places in my area, and they are right where I shop anyway, so I wouldn't be wasting gas going to an out of the way place. Until now I've just been letting our garbage service pick up everything for their recycle program, but now I'd like to start seeing how much money I can get from the places that pay.

[Aleta]

I recently stayed with my dIL before and after the birth of the baby and was so impressed with their recycling. I came back home really committed to recycling. It starts sometimes with people being examples for others.

[creditcardfree]

When we were in Nebraska I just put them out for recycling. Here in Iowa we pay $.05 deposit on cans and bottles, so I now have to take them back to the store to get the money back. Last time I went I had a large rubbermaid tub and three target bags full and received over $8.00 back. Then I went and bought more pop!! Sometimes I give the money to the kids. Oh, and once I set the cans out for the boy scouts!

In Nebraska, they only paid 25 cents a pound for aluminum so it wasn't too lucrative.

[GoodBuyGirl]

I had this brilliant idea that I would collect cans while I got some exercise. That way I'd have at least a little motivation to make me go out walking everyday.
My 1st day out I was picking up cans in a big ditch behind some apartments that are know for drunks living there. Next thing I know some lady comes out and trys to give me a box of food because she thought I was doing it because I was hungry. I just wanted to crawl under a rock at that time. I was just doing it for a little extra income and getting exercise at the same time.
I guess that is the picture people have in their heads. If you are out picking up cans you must be homeless and starving.
I still save the cans we use and sometimes when we don't have anything better to do we'll go out on the dirt roads just outside of town and collect cans there and at the lakes after holiday weekends. I've only cashed in 2 big bags crushed and I got almost $18

[rob62521]

[QUOTE=disneysteve;109133]Around here, they pick up our recyclables with the trash. We recycle cans, bottles, plastic (#1 and #2) and paper. I do it for the environment. I don't get any money for it.
QUOTE]

Same here! We can recycle aluminum pop cans for money, but everything else goes into recycling.

It's interesting to read that some states give refunds on bottles. How many of you remember when we used to buy pop (or soda, depending on what part of the country you live in) when we had pay a deposit for the bottle and then would get it back when we returned the bottle? Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.

[GoodBuyGirl]

[QUOTE=rob62521;111515]

Around here, they pick up our recyclables with the trash. We recycle cans, bottles, plastic (#1 and #2) and paper. I do it for the environment. I don't get any money for it.
QUOTE]

Same here! We can recycle aluminum pop cans for money, but everything else goes into recycling.

It's interesting to read that some states give refunds on bottles. How many of you remember when we used to buy pop (or soda, depending on what part of the country you live in) when we had pay a deposit for the bottle and then would get it back when we returned the bottle? Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.

when I was little there used to be an old man who rode around on a bike collecting cans and bottles. He was even ballsy enough to take them out of peoples cars. Everyone around town thought he was in bad shape financially.
Well when he died they found Millions hidden in his house.

[Aleta]

That is one of the ways we used to help pay down debt was recycling. Often people don't think about how many things are out there that you can recycle. When you take windows out of your house, some are aluminum. There are alot of products out there that are aluminum. We sold quite a bit.

[MonkeyMama]

Just a tip. In Cali if you get the PennySaver (just comes in the mail) they often have coupons so you can redeem an extra amount of money when you take in cans. I know the same for San Jose and Sacramento - may be across the state.

Anyway, my mom was just telling me she got $65 or so for 4 bags with the coupons.

We don't generate enough cans/bottles to use it but when she told me that we considered storing them even if it takes a while - hehe.
I had no idea just 4 bags could pay off so much!

We recycle too but they charge an arm and a leg for our recycle bins. Might as well offset the cost.

Well I am not sure $15/bag is very normal, but does sound like Northern CA pays the best.

I tend to drink most my soda at work and a co-worker collects soda cans for her son's school to earn money. So I won't deny the school that little extra income - nice someone is getting something out of my soda habit.