Make Money, Protect the Environment!

With the global interest in protecting our planet increasing at a rapid rate, it comes as no surprise that many people are searching for ways to become involved in the effort to save the Earth’s ecosystems. One of the easiest and most popular ways to go green is recycling. Although an assortment of materials can be recycled or reused, aluminum offers a unique entrepreneurial opportunity as most facilities offer certain monetary incentives per pound of aluminum.

Of course, the primary reason for recycling aluminum is to reduce the amount of litter currently polluting our waterways, highways, and communities. A single aluminum can may take up to four hundred years to degrade. Because aluminum can withstand the elements for multiple centuries, aluminum litter is prone to pile up, causing not only cosmetic issues for cities and neighborhoods but also triggering serious consequences for the surrounding ecosystems. Injuries to wildlife may occur if the aluminum becomes sharp and jagged, and heaps of litter are capable of disrupting the regular flow of sewer systems.

While the repercussions of aluminum littering prove rather unattractive, the benefits of recycling aluminum are often intriguing. Currently, ten of the fifty states in the Union have passed “bottle bills” setting minimum rewards for recycled aluminum, making recycled aluminum even more lucrative in these states. Most recycled aluminum is back in circulation within two months of being dropped off at a recycling facility, saving surprising amounts of energy and resources; the energy saved by recycling one aluminum can is sufficient to power a television for three hours! Also, there is no limit on how many times a piece of aluminum can be recycled since aluminum perpetually displays like-new properties after every recycling process.

If you would like to become an active participant in the effort to conserve energy and preserve the planet by recycling aluminum, you can start by gathering aluminum cans. You can collect them at school or work or pick up cans laying around your neighborhood (communities with less litter tend to have higher property values). Then, crush your collection of cans before turning them in to a recycling facility or scrap metal center. With more than 100,000 aluminum cans being recycled each minute in the United States, it’s a great time to join the effort to save our planet by saving aluminum!

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