It costs money to run a business. If you’re trying to pay for all of the menial expenses for the first time as a small business owner, it can be surprising to see how quickly operational costs add up. From the cost to lease a commercial office and furniture to the cost for computers and related equipment, you have to really generate revenues if you want to turn a profit.
Surprisingly, there are ways to turn a profit in your business by turning waste into money. If you’re not yet committed to recycling, here’s what you should know.
Saving Your Recyclable Materials
When you think about recycling, you picture curbside collection bins and trash trucks coming to pick up your waste that can be melted down and used again. While local curbside collection programs are the most commonly known programs in the recycling loop, it’s not the end of it. There are so many different ways to save recycling materials and value them as a commodity if you know which materials to save.
If you’re looking for a way to turn your reusable waste into a profit, you need to figure out which materials are in demand and highly valued. As the demand for buildings starts to grow again, more and more recycling centers are paying premium prices for materials that can be used by commodities brokers. It’s best for you to transport the goods so that you can earn the greatest amount of money. Some of the materials that you can recycle include:
- Plastics
- Aluminum
- Scrap metals
- Building waste
- Computers and peripheral systems
- Cartridges
- Copper
- Tires
- Batteries
- Wood
Recycling Your Printer Cartridges
Virtually all business owners need access to at least one multi-purpose commercial printer. You’ll have to print your contracts, disclosures, agreements, invoices, and more. You’ll even need a scanner, fax, and copier machine so that you can do everything from the office. The multi-functional printers are extremely affordable, but the cost of ink has done nothing but rise.
The average printer cartridge costs around $115 and yields around 6000 pages.
You might not necessarily earn profits from recycling printer cartridges, but if you do, you can lower your expenses by as much as 50%. By reducing your expense for ink and cartridges by half of what it would cost if you purchased new ones at a retailer, you can hold onto more of your revenues so that your company is more profitable. Just remember, as your business grows, your need for toner will grow too.
Hold an e-Waste Recycling Event in Your Office
Outdated electronics and electronics waste can be sold to recycling companies for a profit. The way that the electronics industry works now, it feels like computers and peripheral devices are outdated within just 2 years after they are purchased new. In a world where companies manufacture goods that don’t last, you should look for a way to recycle e-waste.
Sure, you will have your own e-waste as the years go on. When you phase out your desktops, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets, you can earn a profit from them by selling the waste to a fair company, but you can do more than just that. Consider holding your own event in the office. It will give you exposure and you can collect old electronic junk so that you can profit and help out the community.
Selling Scrap Metals
Metals can almost always be reused in some way. Depending on the metal, you can earn a pretty penny by recycling. Copper, aluminum, steel, nickel, and gold are always in demand. There are some very unique ways to sell scrap metals depending on what type of business you run.
If you’re in a demolition business, you can profit from cashing in the copper alloy from trim, bearings, plumbing fixtures and more. If you run a dental office, you can even sell your dental gold scrap and profit. The sky is the limit.
It’s not just about selling your reusable materials to the right companies, it’s also about how your efforts to recycle will impact your marketing message. You can reduce your carbon footprint and highlight that as you brand your business. Many customers aim to do business with companies who care about the environment like they do.
