make money recycling glass
What do I need to get started recycling cans, paper, & glass for money in Atlanta, GA?
I am trying to make a difference in the world. I want to be able to help others in any way I can. I thought recycling for money and then donating to various causes would be great because it’s a two-fold idea. It helps others plus helps the earth as well. I have no idea how to start or where I need to go to turn the materials in for money. It seems like here where I live it’s hard to find recycling resources vs. somewhere like California. Any amount of direction would be appreciated.
There are three things you need for a recycling business – a source of discarded materials, facilities in which to store and sort the recyclables, and outlets to which to sell the valuable materials and dispose of the valueless materials.
The last step is the hardest part. Before you do anything else, you need to find scrap buyers who will give you money for the materials you collect. In my town, there are places to sell paper sorted by color, pasteboard and corrugated cardboard, and sorted scrap metals (aluminum, copper, brass, steel,etc.) If there are no places to sell any salvaged materials, there is no way to make money from salvaging them. In my town, there are no buyers of glass. There are buyers of bottle and jar glass in my state, but there are no plate glass buyers within hundreds of miles.
One you have identified materials for which there are local buyers, and other materials which will be accepted for recycling by local agencies, you can set up a sorting facility and develop collection methods. The key is to acquire waste with high proportions of high value salvage, separate them out at low cost, and get them to the buyer at low cost, thus making a profit on the whole exercise. High volume is necessary because you will have lots of stuff left to throw away, and the cost of disposal must be more than covered by the income from sales.
Bum in the alley pilfering from the city recycle bin