A home-based recycling business can be a lucrative enterprise. Many people think that only the giant waste management companies can make money from waste. On the contrary, even someone who's just starting out from home can potentially earn a huge income from this business.

Many people throughout the United States have been practicing recycling for years, but few have realized that there is money to be made from collecting waste. In fact, waste management and recycling is a multi-billion dollar industry, employing thousands of workers nationwide. That very few individuals have ventured into the recycling business is not because it isn't lucrative, but because few people actually know that it is.

Best Business Proposal

Of course, you will be handling stuff from your neighbors' bins, and if you're averse to manual labor, then starting out can be a hard proposition unless you have some capital to pay someone else to do the actual handling of recyclables and still make a tidy profit. Let's face it, some people will always want to work hard for money rather than start a business, even if you present them with a bullet-proof business plan.

A home-based recycling business is probably one of the best propositions you'll ever hear, anytime. An unlimited supply of recyclable materials, low start-up costs, high profit margin, and few competitors are what make this business attractive and if you're interested, here are a few ideas on how to get started.

Transport and Storage

Your primary logistical concerns would be transportation and storage. Having a car or a truck is a definite advantage, you can readily cover a wider area within your neighborhood, community, or city. You may have to invest in a few recycling containers and allocate some space in your garage or backyard, but that's basically the only capital outlay you'll need to be in business.

Choose your material

Initially, you have to decide on which recylable item you're going to focus on. Will you be collecting old newspapers, old phone books, used cell phones, car batteries, aluminum beverage cans, or plastics? This will help you calculate the number of recycling bins or the amount of space to prepare. Some items, like car batteries which can leak toxic heavy metals, would need bigger space and may not be ideal for home storage. Others' like used mobile phones, can take up less space and in a pinch, can be stored in old cardboard boxes.

Contact the Recycling Depot

The next step would be to get in touch with the recycling depot or materials recovery facility where you can deliver your collected materials, and make the necessary arrangements. Distance is an important factor - the closer the facility to your home, the lesser the hauling costs would be. Other recyclers and traders, like Pacebutler Corporation in Edmond, Oklahoma, which buys used cell phones, would actually pay your shipping costs. If you're planning on collecting old cellular phones, go online and check out their purchase price for used mobile phones.

Map out your collection points

One last step before you go on your collection rounds. Identify your collection points - these are the places or establishments located in different spots within your service area where people can bring their recyclable items to. Cultivate contacts, make new friends as you make your rounds - this is very important to your recycling business, or to any business, for that matter. Your contacts and friends within the community are the people who would want to see you succeed and can help you identify strategic places where you can leave bins, boxes, or containers for your collection effort.

These are the basic steps on how to start a recycling business from home. Get to work, put everything down on paper, and fill in the numbers, according to your particular situation. If you've been recycling for years in a sincere desire to protect the environment, you're doing the right thing and I admire you for it. But, earning while recycling is a better idea. Start a recycling business today - it's an opportunity that's definitely worth considering.