Want to make some extra money from your trash?
Yes, you’ve got the option to do that!
And dont stop at aluminum.
Looking for more everyday items you can recycle for money? Keepthese nine itemsout of your trash cans.
How Many Aluminum Cans Per Pound?
It takes about 32 empty aluminum cans to make a pound.
At an average of 56 cents per pound, that makes a single can worth about 1.8 cents.
But a lot of people still dont return their containers so you could cash in on their reluctance.
And if you typically drink out of plastic?
You might be surprised at just how lucrative your thirsty co-workers carbonated drink habits can be.
In his state of Michigan, beverage containers garnered a 10-cent deposit, so his collections added up quickly.
Local Parks
We hope your local parks have plenty of recycling bins.
These are great spots to gather aluminum cans.
Outdoor Concerts
Any outdoor concert or event venue could be worth checking out.
Start with the recycling bins, but make a trip around the grounds for discarded cans, too.
Concert-goers tend to toss their empties left and right while partying in fields and parking lots.
Festivals
Festivals draw thousands of people to a venue, often for several days.
If youre going anyway, thats fine.
Friends and Family
Your friends and family are another good source of returnable cans.
Some antique collectible beer cans are worth $35 to $1,000 each, so you could get lucky!
So theyre happy to pay consumers a bit to get those valuable cans back.
Making new aluminum requires mining an ore, then refining it through a special process.
Better to just melt the stuff weve already got.
That could be significantly reduced if you live in an area that pays higher prices.
At $2 per pound, youd need just 1,600 cans (50 pounds).
In a state with a 10-cent container deposit, you could make $100 with 1,000 cans.
It takes about 32 aluminum cans to make one pound on average.
Weights fluctuate depending on brand and can design.
That makes it harder for aluminum rollers to turn a profit on their re-used aluminum.
With a lower demand from manufacturers, prices have dropped.
Whether its worth your time to collect and drop off cans for cash is up to you.
Another way to see it?