Would you consider me if I stated you would flip your trash into money? It’s true! On this submit, I’ll present you precisely find out how to flip your rubbish into cash!
As a child, I used to be extraordinarily money-motivated. My buddy and I’d give you new money-making schemes on a regular basis. Moreover making and promoting arts and crafts, fragrance, and lemonade, we might additionally dig by means of the close by workplace park’s dumpsters, trying to find soda cans and different treasures. More often than not, we might acquire the cans and commerce them in for cash to purchase sweet from the shop. However one summer season, we collected 1000’s of Pepsi Soda tabs and traded them in for a one-night keep at a resort (don’t fear, my buddy’s mother chaperoned us on our keep).
It’s exceptional what number of methods there are to become profitable when you’re prepared to strive. In the event you’re seeking to flip your trash into money, listed here are 19 legit methods to get began.
1. Promoting Aluminum Cans
Promoting aluminum cans might be the very first thing that involves thoughts when you concentrate on turning your trash into money.
Incomes cash from aluminum cans will depend on the state you reside in. In line with Cohen, in bottle-bill states, you may count on to earn $0.05 to $0.10 per can.
In line with my calculations, in case you have 35 cans, and every can pays out $0.05, you’ll earn $1.75. Whereas this isn’t an enormous sum of money, it’s a simple method so as to add some money to your pockets whereas serving to to scrub up your neighborhood.
2. Promote Your Cardboard Bins
Boxcycle is a web based market the place you may promote your new and used cardboard containers for money. (I want I had identified about this after we had been promoting Woman Scout Cookies; I had a ton of containers!)
To get began, create a free itemizing on Boxcycle. Then, when somebody in your space is trying to find containers, you’ll verify the provision and schedule a pickup time. As soon as the client has picked up the containers and verified the sale, they’ll credit score your account with the cash. Funds are made through PayPal and might be requested at any time.
3. Flip Your Cooking Oil into Money
One other solution to flip your trash into money is by promoting your outdated cooking oil. An organization referred to as Buddies Grease Service will come and acquire your used cooking oil, changing it into biodiesel. The pay shouldn’t be disclosed on this article, however you may name for extra particulars. There are, nonetheless, a few downsides. This firm solely collects in Texas and from industrial kitchens, however you might be able to discover a firm in your space with an identical program. Or possibly you begin your individual biodiesel gas firm!
4. Digital Waste
Have you ever simply upgraded your smartphone, laptop computer, or pill? Then, promote your outdated digital trash for money! Make the most of platforms like Fb Market, eBay, or Mercari to join with potential consumers on-line.
In the event you’re in search of options, I’ve bought used smartphones, iPads, and laptops to AT&T, Verizon, and Apple once I upgraded my units. Amazon and Staples even have trade-in packages, however I’ve but to strive both of these.
Listed here are a few different firms that can purchase your used electronics for money as properly:
5. Cash For Junk Mail
Do you hate unsolicited mail? Flip it into money! The Small Enterprise Information Heart pays you on your unsolicited mail within the insurance coverage, monetary, mortgage, lending, credit score, telecommunications, and journey industries. Merely signal as much as grow to be a client panelist after which ship your qualifying unsolicited mail in pre-paid envelopes each week. For each bit of mail that you just ship in, you’ll earn factors that may be redeemed for present playing cards.
One consumer on Reddit reported incomes $40 a month in rewards utilizing the Small Enterprise Information Heart. How a lot you may earn will rely upon how a lot unsolicited mail you obtain and the way constantly and shortly you ship it again.
6. Scan Your Receipts For Money
Don’t throw away these receipts! Consider it or not, some firms will use your receipts for market analysis. Listed here are a couple of smartphone apps that can reward you with cash or present playing cards on your receipts.
Fetch Rewards is a cellular app that lets you earn factors by scanning your receipts and enjoying video games throughout the app. Presently, it takes 6,500 factors to redeem a $5 present card, however the extra factors you earn, the higher worth they’ve (it solely takes 11,500 factors to get a $10 present card). I’ve been utilizing this for a couple of years, and through that point, I’ve earned $115. Whereas this isn’t a ton of cash, it fuels my Starbucks behavior.
Ibotta is an iPhone and Android app that lets you earn cash whereas procuring. Earlier than heading out on a procuring journey, full duties regarding your favourite manufacturers and corporations. Subsequent, buy groceries at shops like Goal and Walgreens and take photographs of your receipts. As soon as your transaction has been verified, your account might be credited with the required cashback quantity. Funds are made through PayPal, Wells Fargo, American Specific, Chase, Financial institution of America, or present playing cards. Earnings might be withdrawn as quickly as you earn $20.
Receipt Hog is a smartphone app the place you’re taking photographs of your receipts from any grocery retailer, supercenter, membership retailer, greenback retailer, drug retailer, comfort mart, magnificence provide, or pet provide retailer. As soon as receipts are inputted into the system, Receipt Hog will award you with digital cash that may be traded in for money through PayPal, Visa, or Amazon present playing cards. The quantity of cash you earn per receipt will depend on the full quantity of your invoice. You may submit 20 receipts per week and commerce 1,000 cash in for $5.
Take a look at this submit for extra firms that can pay you money on your receipts!
7. How one can Promote Reclaimed Wooden
Have you ever transformed your private home? Do you flip homes? Or do you’ve got an outdated barn that must be eliminated? Then, contemplate promoting your outdated reclaimed wooden for money. Vintage Beams and Boards pays you cash on your ash, elm, hickory, maple, walnut, and white oak wooden. To acquire a quote, ship them an e mail with the size, sizes, kind of wooden (if identified), and photographs. Vintage Beams and Boards has an A+ ranking with the Higher Enterprise Bureau.
Once I consider scrap steel, I consider metal mills. Nonetheless, the reality is that the majority steel objects (together with vehicles, bikes, home equipment, cans, file cupboards, and BBQ grills) might be recycled for money. Go to SA Recycling and full their on-line kind, or name them to learn the way a lot you may earn. Scrap yards are positioned all through the US.
9. Used Ink Cartridges
Working from dwelling, you undergo a superb quantity of ink cartridges, however do you know that you could promote these outdated cartridges for money?! At Evolve Recycling, you may ship in your used ink cartridges (and cell telephones) for fast cash.
Simply join on their web site, and a pre-paid envelope might be despatched to your private home. Ship your objects again and receives a commission through verify. One factor I like about Evolve Recycling is that they’ve a worth record, so you realize precisely how a lot your empty cartridges are price. Please be aware that you will need to ship in 20 objects at a time, so you might want to avoid wasting your cartridges for an prolonged interval earlier than transport them.
In the event you want to promote domestically, HP has partnered with Staples, Finest Purchase, and Workplace Max to recycle your used ink cartridges. Staples rewards your recycling efforts with in-store rewards. With Finest Purchase, you may reap the benefits of numerous affords for recycling completely different merchandise, and with OfficeMax, you’ll earn $2 in-store rewards.
10. Recycle Your Wine Corks for Money
Do you like to drink wine? Do you promote wine for a direct gross sales firm? Then, promote these outdated wine corks for cash! In line with Vinepair, you may promote your outdated wine corks on eBay for roughly $0.10 per cork. After all, you’ll must pay eBay vendor charges and add transport prices, however in case you have loads of wine corks mendacity round, you would earn sufficient cash for a brand new bottle of wine.
11. Promoting Plastic Bottles
In line with Greenpeace, of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced, solely 9% is ever recycled. Because of this development, many nations and states encourage people to gather plastic bottles and recycle them for a money reward. Tesco has put in reverse merchandising machines within the UK the place people can flip in plastic bottles for cash. As plastic bottles are a world downside, I count on this development of paying for recycled plastic to proceed. To discover a plastic bottle recycling middle close to you, go to Earth 911.
12. Promoting Glass Bottles
Recycling glass bottles for money is nothing new. Nonetheless, within the US, solely ten states at present pay cash for bottles: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. In the event you don’t reside in one in all these states, it’s nonetheless price exploring. Do a Google seek for your metropolis and the key phrases “promote bottles.” You might be able to discover a native recycling middle, a homebrew provide retailer, a winery, or a brewery that accepts glass bottles for money.
In the event you can’t recycle bottles for money in your state and also you’re artful, you may promote upcycled bottle crafts on Etsy for a revenue. Folks have turned used bottles into candles, lights, dwelling decor, tumblers, and extra!
13. Money For Junk Batteries
Does your car want a brand new battery? In that case, you may commerce in your outdated one for a small low cost on a brand new one. Most auto elements shops will routinely low cost your new battery if you give them your outdated one (so remember to ask about this earlier than making your buy). Nonetheless, in case you have outdated batteries mendacity round your storage, you might be able to promote them for money at auto half shops, junkyards, or on websites like Craigslist. In line with this text, you may earn wherever from $5 to $12 per battery.
14. Promoting Your Previous Home equipment
In the event you’ve moved into a brand new home or bought new home equipment, you doubtless have outdated ones that must be eliminated so you may make room for the brand new ones. Relying on their age, situation, and whether or not they’re working, you might be able to promote them for money.
In case your home equipment are in good situation and nonetheless work, contemplate itemizing them on Craigslist, VarageSale, or Fb Market. In case your home equipment don’t work, you might be able to promote them for spare elements on the web sites talked about above or to an area salvage yard.
15. Promoting Rest room Paper Rolls
I’d have by no means considered this in one million years, however in line with this text on Nation Residing, crafters and lecturers want bathroom paper rolls for craft tasks. The going price on eBay is $15 for 100 rolls; keep in mind that you’ll must cowl transport prices, packaging prices, and eBay charges.
16. Money for Meals Scraps
Again in my faculty days, once I waited tables, we might scrape the leftovers of patrons’ meals into a large trash bin. These meals scraps had been then donated to an area farmer, who would feed the scraps to his pigs. Meals waste is an enormous downside in America! The truth is, in line with the USDA, it’s estimated that 30-40% of our meals provide is wasted by customers annually.
Whereas some firms and customers have discovered inventive methods to recycle their scraps, some intelligent entrepreneurs have discovered methods to become profitable from meals scraps!
One firm, Carter’s Compost, bikes to customers’ properties, collects their meals scraps, and drops them off at their compost websites. Your meals scraps (espresso grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, paper, and eggshells) are was helpful compost, and the service is barely $10 for month-to-month pickups or $15 for weekly pickups. They even rent crew members to gather trash on their bikes in Traverse Metropolis, Michigan. Candidates should be at the very least 16 years of age and revel in using a bicycle; the beginning pay is $15 per hour.
17. Promote Empty Capsule Bottles On-line
The opposite day, I went to my native pharmacy to recycle my empty tablet bottles. Sadly, their recycling bin was full, so I began trying on-line for options. Surprisingly, I discovered folks on Etsy and eBay promoting empty tablet containers for money.
Sure, when you save sufficient tablet bottles, you may promote them on-line for folks to make use of in craft tasks, as celebration favors, or for storage choices. Some crafters enhance their empty tablet bottles with fake gems or painted designs, whereas others add vinyl stickers, and nonetheless others promote the empty bottles on their very own. To offer you an concept of what you may earn with this selection, one Etsy vendor bought 5 (1.5 oz) empty tablet bottles for $3.00!
18. Begin A Trash Choose-Up Enterprise
In the event you’re seeking to begin a low-cost enterprise, contemplate launching a trash pickup service. Brian Winch, the founding father of Cleanlots, began selecting up trash in parking heaps as a aspect hustle again within the Nineteen Eighties. Over time, he turned his efforts right into a six-figure money-making machine. At present, he teaches others find out how to start their very own waste assortment enterprise. Not solely is that this an environmentally pleasant choice, nevertheless it’s additionally excellent for people preferring to not spend their days sitting behind a pc.
To study extra about getting began, take a look at Cleanlots!
19. Begin an Upcycling Enterprise
Do you know that solely 10% to 30% of the objects which can be donated to thrift shops are placed on the ground on the market? The remainder leads to a landfill, filling our planet with rubbish. In the event you’re artsy and artful and excited about sustainability, you can begin an upcycling enterprise by reworking different folks’s trash into money!
I’ve seen small enterprise homeowners on TikTok flip objects like outdated denims into tote baggage, sleeping baggage into jackets, and mattress sheets into clothes. One such enterprise proprietor is Kelsey from Rope Drop Design. She takes Disney-themed uncooked supplies, akin to mattress sheets and sleeping baggage, and turns them into clothes, skirts, jackets, baggage, shirts, and extra, promoting them on her web site. In the event you’re involved that upcycling isn’t a profitable alternative, suppose once more! One in all her upcycled jackets goes for $500, and they’re all the time bought out.
One other solution to make the most of recyclable supplies is to repurpose objects akin to furnishings, dwelling decor, plates, and even toys. I’ve seen folks take china plates and switch them into jewellery, in addition to superb furnishings recreations. Not solely does upcycling have a constructive affect on the surroundings, nevertheless it additionally tends to have good revenue margins.
To get began, contemplate what you need to upcycle and create a list of the objects you intend to make use of. Upon getting your objects, begin documenting your inventive course of through video on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube (you need to use your telephone to do that). Subsequent, select an e-commerce platform to promote your objects on, akin to Etsy, Shopify, or TikTok Store, and movie the ultimate product, together with a hyperlink to the place it may be bought.
Different Methods to Flip Your Trash Into Money
There are many methods to make money out of your trash!
If in case you have undesirable objects mendacity round your private home, perform a little research to see in case your rubbish is price any cash. Many shops and organizations have recycling packages that reward you for recycling undesirable items and trash.
For example, TerraCycle is an organization that enables people to recycle their non-recyclable objects (akin to toothbrushes, snack baggage, and drink pouches) whereas incomes TerraCycle factors to help charities, colleges, and win prizes.
This submit from Fairly Be Procuring lists shops that reward customers for recycling their outdated items. Every retailer affords some reward or low cost, so it’s undoubtedly price trying out.
Then there are the skilled dumpster divers who make a full-time dwelling digging by means of the trash and reselling their finds. This particular person, who lives in my hometown of Austin, earned $100,000 final 12 months by digging by means of the rubbish of main retailers like Sears, Finest Purchase, and OfficeMax, then flipping his objects on websites like eBay and Craigslist. Melissa and Rob Stephenson even have a reselling enterprise, and lots of of their objects are discovered within the trash, too!
As they are saying, one man’s trash is one other man’s treasure! Have you ever turned your trash into money? We’d love to listen to your story!
Initially printed March 30, 2015. Content material up to date June 2025.