Earning Profit For A Cause: 5 Recycling Industries That Are Booming

As you know, recycling has become big business. In every town, well-advertised scrap yards recycle scrap metal. However, other materials besides the usual junked cars and soda cans are recycled as well. The specialized recycling companies keep quiet, so the average person does not know about them. However, with a little investigation, you can find out what materials are recycled, and who is making a good profit by recycling materials not often thought of.
Electronics Scrap
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), citing the Consumer Electronics Association, states that every household in America has about 24 electronic items. Most people don’t know that gold, silver, and palladium are used in electronic circuit boards. For example, gold is used in electrical contacts. All these are high dollar metals, and specialized companies make a good profit by extracting out the precious metals from old electronics. According to the EPA, recycling old electronics scrap prevents the metals from simply going to waste. Therefore, old electronics should never be thrown away, but rather recycled.
Food Composting
Every farmer or gardener needs compost for their soil. Compost is really decayed food and organic material, and some companies specialize in composting. These companies accept food waste from restaurants, and compost the waste in highly developed composting machinery. When the waste turns into compost, it’s sold to the agricultural sector. Composting food is a great way to help the environment, and as a bonus, recycling businesses are making a good profit by composting.
Tire Recycling
Instead of just throwing old tires in a landfill, some companies shred tires, making a sort of “mulch.” One area the rubber mulch is used is children’s playgrounds. The mulch is spread on the ground, making a softer cushion to reduce the injury from falls. Another, less well known area of recycling tires is making Rubberized Asphalt Concrete (RAC). RAC is made of finely ground tires, mixed with concrete aggregates and asphalt. According to the state of California, RAC is used extensively in road building, making good use of a material that is normally thrown away. RAC is manufactured by companies that make a good profit by selling it to road commissions.
Plastics Recycling
Today, plastics’ recycling is as common as metal recycling. Recycling companies make a profit by accepting waste, and sort it out according to the number, usually stamped on an inconspicuous area. The old plastic is melted, re-made into pellets, and sold to companies that mold products such as plastic cups or bins. You may not know, however, that plastic “lumber” is also being made. According to the State of California, Recycled Plastic Lumber (RPL) can be used in many areas that conventional lumber is used.
Paint Recycling
A recent business enterprise has sprung up in paint recycling. Recycling businesses accept old leftover paint. The paint is sorted according to oil or water based, remixed, and new additives are added in. The “new” paint is then sold to commercial painters or on the retail market. Recycling organizations make a good profit by selling recycled paint, for example, the city of Tucson, Arizona, sells recycled paint.
Many products not normally thought of are in fact recoverable and reusable. Companies have sprung up to recycle those materials, but these companies do not advertise. Therefore, the consumer has very little information about them. If you search around, however, you will discover an entire industry built around hidden recyclable materials.
Information provided by egtireshredders.com.