Paper Recycling An Easy Source of Extra Income for Anyone

Make the same rounds; follow the same collection routes, at least once every two weeks. Once you've hot the routine working well, you'll be ready to hire a couple of high school or college students to help, perhaps with another car and trailer.

The best way to pay your help is with a percentage of the tonnage you sell. And then too, once you have it all together, you'll want to go with a truck or trailer that allows you to haul a couple of tons of paper per load.

It's important that you make regular rounds, calling on the same houses regularly. After about six months of this, you'll be ready to open a local recycling depot.

This simply means taking the accumulation of paper out of your home or garden shed and moving it to a business location. Because of your advertising in the newspapers, and the sign on your truck or trailer, people will be calling you during the week to come and pick up paper they have ready for you. Also, your neighbors will very likely be dropping by with armloads of paper for you from time to time, as well. Specifically, these are the reasons you'll need storage space to store the paper in your garage or other storage area until you have enough to load up and take to the recycling plant.

One of the best locations for your recycling depot is an abandoned or closed down service station. Or perhaps a vacant lot, or even a corner of a large shopping center parking area. You'll need a scale (you can rent or lease one of these for a small amount), and a quick set-up tent or large truck. What you want to do is establish a location where people can come to you. They bring their newspapers, you weigh what they've brought and pay them a penny a pound for newspapers and two cents a pound for cardboard boxes. You can hire someone to man this center for you during the day, or perhaps only open between 4 and 6 o'clock in the after-noons. Advertise your hours, and be dependable, so that people can count on you.