Pay One Of Your Utility Bills By Recycling This Every Month

Ever looked in your trash can and asked yourself: “What if I could get paid for all this stuff. Surely someone can do something with it!” Well, you’re right. All too often the trash we create can be recycled – and even earn you a pretty penny too. Imagine if you could, say, pay off one of your utility bills just by collecting and taking in your unwanted trash?

The good news is you can. As recycling becomes more cost-effective and accessible to the public, you as the consumer and provider of waste have an opportunity to benefit. So what trash items give you the biggest return? Consider recycling these common household items every month and pay your utility bills while you’re at it.

 

 Aluminium Cans

If you’re a soda addict, or if you know someone that is, you’ll appreciate that the empty cans can pile up pretty quickly. If you don’t already, you can cash these cans in at recycle depots and get money back. So instead of tossing them in the recycling bin, bag them up, take them in, and cash out on your thirst quenching.

 Plastic Bottles

Just like their aluminium counterparts, plastic soda bottles can be equally as valuable to recycle at your local depot. Depending on size, some bottles can earn you up to $0.20, which adds up quickly when you start collecting them. Make sure they’re washed out before you take them in; it makes them easier to recycle. 

Glass Bottles

Glass bottles of many shapes and sizes are accepted at recycling depots as well. Cash-back rates are similar to plastic bottles and also vary with size. Although these small refund amounts may seem trivial, there’s money in numbers, and when you receive a refund for all your bottles and cans, you’ll be well on the way to paying off a pesky utility bill this month!

Human Hair

There’s bottles, and then there’s human hair. You wouldn’t believe it, but there’s a high-paying market for human hair. If you’ve got long hair or the ability to grow it fast, then you could make some serious cash. Rates can range from $200 to well over $1,500 depending on shade, length, and condition of your locks. Sites such as buyandsellhair.com, thehairtrader.org, or hairwork.com are a few to check out.

 Cooking Oil

If you see yourself as a master chef in the kitchen, then hold onto your wasted cooking oil. Recycling centers are available that will pay you for your used cooking oil – turning it into useful products such as biodiesel and heating oil. Winter is an especially lucrative time for cooking oil recycling, due to the increased demand for home heating. It’s certainly a potential money-earner to pay off those monthly utility bills, but it’s a fairly new practice. You’ll have to do some detective work to find local recycling depots – via the newspaper or the internet.

Wine Corks

Imagine all those wine bottles you’re able to recycle after that Saturday night party, and then imagine how many corks you saw lying around as well. You may not have realised, but cork is a heavily-used resource which can be recycled. Unfortunately, recycling cork won’t make you rich, but it could definitely take the edge off your monthly utility bill. So where can you cash-in your corks? Try places online like eBay, Etsy, local craft businesses, etc. There are also some recyclers who will pay you for corks and actually recycle them for re-use. This option normally requires you to have a substantial number of corks to offer, though.

 

Recycling can definitely take the edge off your finances and pay one of your utility bills, if you’re willing to take the time to collect and deposit your prized rubbish in exchange for cash. It’s a great option that will save you money and help reduce your environmental footprint. It’s a small but real way to increase your contribution to a greener future, and get rewarded for your efforts.