Is recycling aluminum worth it?
Posted
Jan 21 2009, 11:27 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Prices for recycled materials like cans and cardboard tanked along with the global and U.S. economy, according to an article in The Seattle Times. That explains why I got only $2 for 10 pounds of aluminum cans at my neighborhood recycling plant last weekend.
Only a couple of months ago they were paying 40 cents a pound (about 28 cans). If I lived in one of 11 states with can/bottle deposit laws, I’d have made at least $12.60.
For a $2 payoff, was it worth the effort to recycle? There are a couple of different ways to answer that question.
From a strictly ecological standpoint, sure. We can keep reusing the aluminum rather than dump cans in a landfill. Of course, if I were worried about the environment I could have just put them in the recycle bin outside the apartment building. But I wondered how much they were worth.
Reduce, reuse, cash in?
Costwise, was it worth it? That depends on whether we’re talking cash or time. It didn’t cost me anything to drive to the recycling plant because I was on my way to another errand. The place is less than a mile away, so I could make it a destination walk anytime I have a couple of bags of cans.
Partner blogger Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar figures he earns the equivalent of $48 an hour to recycle aluminum -- you get a nickel a can in Iowa. I wish. Here in the land of No Deposit, it took me maybe 10 minutes total to take the cans out of my apartment, drive to the place, get paid and leave. You could look at that as earning $12 an hour.
If you’re out of a job, snowflaking a debt or simply determined to find additional sources of income, here are a few tips on how to get more cans:
• Collect them at your workplace.
• Carry a bag when you take walks. It’s a little disturbing how many cans get tossed on the roads and even on hiking trails.
• Make friends with a bar owner who sells lots of canned beer -- that is, if you can stand the stench of the dregs.
• Ask neighbors and/or relatives, nicely, if they’ll save their cans for you.
• Get permission to put collection containers in places where people gather, such as bowling alleys or social halls. Check them often, though, lest others with the same idea empty the bins for you.
For an occasional $2 payday, a lot of people might not think it’s worth their time. But for those living on the margins through chance or choice, even a few dollars is better than nothing. I’m thinking of the guys who rummage in the recycle bins outside my window; I doubt that they’re doing it because they got tired of being day traders.
As times get tighter, I think we may see more working-class and middle-class folks hauling cans to recycling centers for a little extra cash. However, it’s worth noting that unless you’re picking up cans along roadsides, you might “earn” more money by reducing or cutting soda (and beer) from your diet.
Related reading:
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In praise of iced tea
Have all the Dr Pepper you want, kids – if you're paying for it
