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By Matt Wilbourn – Co-Founder www.uanditrade.com
If someone offered to send you on a vacation for a couple of days and all you had to do was save your cans and bottles for a year, would you do it?
Most of us would say yes; that sounds like a great deal. In reality, this is something that you can do today! All you have to do turn in your bottles and cans to a center that will pay you for them and then take the trip at the end of the year: your reward for your hard work.
In eleven of our states we have what they call a “bottle bill” to ensure a high rate of recycling or reuse. This bill requires us to pay $.05 or $.10 every time we buy a beverage in a can or bottle from the store. Where I live we have curbside recycling and up until now my family has thrown our cans and bottles away in the blue recycle bin. While doing so helps the environment, it also gives these items to our county who recycles them for money. If my family turned in our bottles and cans to a redemption center, however, we would recoup our money.
When do the math, the numbers start to add up:
34 clean aluminum cans make up 1 pound which would be worth $1.80**
32 plastic bottles makes up 1 pound* which would be worth $2.08**
If you drink a lot of soda or bottled water and you turn them in for money you will make extra cash that your family can use.
With this money you surely could take a trip somewhere and use the money you earned recycling to pay for a portion of the trip. Who knows; you might be able to pay for the whole thing! Other options might be to save this money for family night or start a college fund for your kids.
Not only is it important to recycle, it’s important to become an advocate of “bottle bills” in your state. “Bottle Bills” provide money to be a part of the bigger solution and get involved! Below is a website that is looking for your signature on a petition to create a National Bottle Bill.
About the writer,
Matt Wilbourn is the Co-Founder of www.uanditrade.com (U and I Trade) where families go to trade all of the stuff they have outgrown. Much like aluminum cans and plastic bottles the used clothes you have are worth something when you are finished with them. It’s up to you to get this value out of them.
Parents using the site today save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their clothing needs per year. The items they are receiving are all in excellent condition. Parents aren’t stopping at trading clothes, they are trading books, toys and even adult clothing as well.
*Plastic bottles vary in size and weight this was based on a 1 pt plastic bottle
**Based on the cash calculator at http://www.bottlesandcans.com
Tags: dad, freecycle, green, kids clothing, mom, Parents, planet green, recycle, save money, single parent, uanditrade, used, used clothing
