California was one of the first states to pass a redemption law. It added a few cents to each plastic bottle and can purchased on top of the actual price. At first every one was kind of upset, but it paid off. Parents started telling their kids to save cans and bottles to make extra money. Kids use to have their friends over for “smash the can” parties in the driveways. Even the homeless people started doing more dumpster diving and going around town and picking up the trash that people littered in the city and on the highways.
Each time people brought glad trash bags full of aluminum cans or plastic bottles they were paid by the weight. The extra tax upon purchase meant whomever turned in the can or bottle got an additional stipend, which added up pretty fast. Then some kids going to UCLA and UCSB started to do studies in Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Santa Monica and found that the average homeless person was making over $14,000 per year. Yah, that is right $14,000 plus; TAX FREE, the more savvy ones had special areas staked out where they knew every morning there would be trash to catch.
This had always fascinated me. First off people who litter suck of course, if you litter then you suck too. I am sorry but everyone who litters sucks; so don’t do it. Okay, thanks. Now then, one of our clubs in high school use to collect the aluminum cans and bottles after every lunch period and turn them into the recycle center, it was easy since we had 36 kids in the club and two people would volunteer each day. No big deal, we made lots of money on that deal, about $2,000 per month, not bad at all, considering it was trash for cash? Sounds entrepreneurial and indeed they made me president of the club for thinking up this idea, although it was actually my sister’s idea. She got the idea from her friends mom who had them smash cans. To make a long story short I became the Future Business Leaders of America Club Prez at the local High School and later elected most likely to succeed my senior year, little did they know how wrong they were, since I retired at age 40 now from my companies. I don’t even have job anymore? Maybe I should get back into the recycling business, a lot of cash can be made on America’s trash.
What I am trying to point out is there is really good money in recycling and it is a good way to make a few extra bucks for yourself, simply get your exercise in the park and collect bottles and cans in a couple of giant zip tie trash bags, you will make some serious money. Hey $14,000 extra per year is not bad, that is some good spending money I imagine for the middle-income family. First start by saving your own bottles and cans then go collect some more and then some more. Load the big bags in your SUV and once per month drop off all the bags of recyclables and collect your money. They may not make you president of the club, but you can certainly teach a good lesson to your kids and they can carry on the tradition of helping America clean up its act. Think about it.
"Lance Winslow" - Online [http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/]Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; [http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/]www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for [http://www.ourspokanemagazine.com/]Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington
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