Do you get paid to recycle?

Joined
Jul 2, 2013
Messages
17
Reaction score
5
No, but I think that would be a fantastic incentive to get more people to recycle! I recycle as much as possible, so an incentive would just be a little icing on the cake.
 
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
Messages
387
Reaction score
84
Location
South Africa
Hardiness Zone
9b
Country
South Africa
The only recycling that gets collected where I live is paper. Anything else we have to take to the dump or some other collection centre ourselves.

Although we don't use them, there seem to be places that pay for recyclables because there are poor people who walk around the suburbs with a trolley and go through everyone's bins to see what recyclables they can find, so somebody is obviously paying for those items. I sometimes feel guilty about the fact that we don't put anything useful in our bins because those people could be making some money off the stuff we give away.
 
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
60
Reaction score
13
Hardiness Zone
USDA Zone 5b
If I take it 30 miles away I could! But it isn't worth the cost in gas. Our city forces recycling and we will get a fine if we don't participate. They do random searches through garbage every few months. We got a $50 fine for two bottles once. I picked them up outside and they had mold so I tossed them in the trash... wrong day to do that. It's pretty annoying how they penalize us though.
 
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
76
Reaction score
4
Country
Canada
I wish! We pay a recycling fee included in the cost of recyclable products, at least with plastic bottles or juice boxes. If I were so inclined, I could collect them all up, take them to a recycling depot, and get that cost back. Or if I were lazy, I could just leave it in the recycling bin and let the city take it! I don't mind though. It's a small price to pay for great environmental benefits!
 
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
Messages
387
Reaction score
84
Location
South Africa
Hardiness Zone
9b
Country
South Africa
There isn't that much being done to encourage recycling in South Africa yet. We have our paper collected once a week, but for the rest it's up to us to dispose of our recyclables as we see fit. Plastic shopping bags have been treated as an issue over the last few years and we now have to pay for those at supermarkets and some other shops (though not all). In my family we use those bags over and over again before recycling them, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people are prepared to pay for new bags every time they go to the supermarket. I doubt those people recycle them either.
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
10
Reaction score
1
I don't actually get paid to recycle. However in my community they pick up recycling every Saturday and we do receive an incentive. There is a website called Recycle Bank. Our bins have unique numbers linked to our addresses. We sign up on the website and collect points. The points can be converted to gift cards, coupons and other stuff. I enjoyed it, until recently they said they were ending the program. A user can also earn points on the website by clicking on slides or taking quizzes or other activities so I still participate on the website. Now they just pick up the recycling which is still good for the environment rather than allowing it to fill our landfills.
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
23
Reaction score
4
Location
New York
Country
United States
The thread title struck me a a bit funny because I do get paid for recycling since I work in an organic recycling yard! but locally the only way you get paid to recycle that I know of is when you do can and bottle returns. would be nice if this was done with paper also.
 
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
81
Reaction score
16
Location
Ohio
Hardiness Zone
Zone 5b
Country
United States
Newspapers can recycled but I think you would have to have tons of them. What can you use newspapers for when gardening? I don't have a subscription to one but if it can become useful I'll stop throwing away the ones I do buy.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Messages
22
Reaction score
8
Country
United States
I have recently began collecting soda cans. If i get a few hundred and take them to the recycling plant, they will give me money. It will probably be like $10-20, but it's better than nothing!

I wonder if my town has a program like the one you described? I will look into it!
 
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
81
Reaction score
16
Location
Ohio
Hardiness Zone
Zone 5b
Country
United States
I used to recycle a lot when my sons were smaller. They would help me. Pop and beer would be flying all over the place because they would be throwing them like basketballs after they crunched them. I've been considering recycling again because there are so many pop and beer cans in my neighborhood.
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Messages
45
Reaction score
25
Location
NYC
Country
United States
In the community that I live in, we all recycle and the garbage company comes each week to pick up our recycle cans. As a result of recycling, we get a little money knocked off of our bill based on the weight of the community efforts. Do you get paid to recycle?
In NYC the city gets all the recycled materials and sells it (Recycling is mandatory). Some people collects soda and beer cans and bottles which can be recycled for $0.05 ea. We have a lot of "scrap" metal places that pays for aluminum, cooper, brass, etc. Other than that you get nothing.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Forum statistics

Threads
26,802
Messages
258,386
Members
13,348
Latest member
HuFlungPu

Latest Threads

Top