How I Will Be Rich

As anybody who’s been around the blogosphere probably already knows, today is Blog Action Day. Thousands of websites are all coming together to write on the same topic; the environment. Since this is a site about making money, what better topic to discuss than making money while helping the environment.

Recycle. It’s environmentally responsible of you to recycle whether there’s money involved or not and if you are not in a position to make money on your recycling, you’ve still got to take that, morally responsible, high ground and recycle anyway.

What I have in mind for this post is to list off the various things that can be recycled. There is so much more that can be recycled that a lot of people probably don’t know about. Here’s a list:

The Obvious:

• Paper – Everyone knows by now that you can and should recycle paper. Paper comes from trees and, obviously, the destruction of the rain forests is a huge and growing problem. Recycle Old mail, computer printer paper, envelopes, construction paper, newspapers, etc. Find your local recycling center. Some places may pay by the pound.
• Plastic – Round up your 2 liter bottles, milk jugs or any plastic containers and take them to your local recycling center.
• Aluminum – Save all your cans and take them to your local recycling center. There can definitely be some money made here. Collecting a lot of cans can round you up quite a good chunk of change.
• Glass – Clear, green, blue or brown glass can all be recycled. If you take them to the local recycling center. Some places may pay by the pound for these too.

Less Than Obvious

• Telephone Books – Most phone books have instructions somewhere in the book on the steps to take to recycle them.
• Ink Cartridges – There are companies out there that will pay for your old ink cartridges. They can refill them and resell them. Here is a site to recycle ink cartridges and make some money.
• Electronic Equipment – Computer parts, IPods, Stereos etc. can be recycled and the parts can be reused to make new electronic equipment.
• Old CDs – You can resell them to a local music trader or you can recycle them.
• Cell Phones – Companies will buy these off you as well. Cellphones contain an ore called Coltan. Coltan is mined in Central Africa. Miners have been intruding in wildlife reserves and it has been affecting the animal population. Recycling your cellphone cuts down on the mining of this ore, helping protect the Central African habitat.
• Oil – Oil needs to be disposed of properly. If not, it can be very hazardous to the environment. Used oil can actually be re-refined in to a usable lubricating oil. Read more about this here.
• Paint – Paint is very hazardous to the environment if not disposed of properly. You can donate the paint to a charity organization for use in their projects such as in schools, churches or community centers. If you have no place to donate it, make sure you take it to a recycling center or someone who can properly dispose of it.
• Tires – Tires are often piled in to landfills which can cause fires that are very difficult to extinguish. Tires can actually be burned to create a fuel. More information can be found here.
• Wood – As mentioned earlier, cutting down trees leads to big problems. Recycled wood, such as pallets or scraps can be ground down and used in composite woods and create, well, basically, new wood.

There is so much more than what is listed that can be recycled. I urge everyone to get more information on the subject. Anything that you are considering throwing away, “google” it and see if it can be recycled. Everyone can make a difference to help save the environment.

-M

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