Recycling: Second Option Available to Entrepreneurial Students
After the price of aluminum was cut in half during the height of the recession, its value has begun to rise again. Used aluminum cans are able to net a smart student 65-cents a pound. It may not sound like much, but it can add up quickly.
For students who drink a little more on the heavy side, it is very reasonable for two roommates to go through a case of beer during the school week and another 60-90 beers on the weekends. These numbers can especially be true with the help of a few of age friends.
Last year, Adam Burhenne ’10 often just threw the cans out in the morning, even though he had collected them the entire night in a large black plastic bag. “Unfortunately, I probably threw away more than $100 worth of cans last year. I had no idea that the cans could be worth so much.”
This semester, Burhenne and his roommate are saving the cans. They tried to at least be more environmentally conscience by putting them in the recycling trailers on campus last semester, but wanted to take it a step further. “Any amount of money to help out is good in this economy.”
The Rinks located on Route 7 just south of the Muskingum River is one of the easiest locations to recycle aluminum. Ashley’s Recycling, which runs the facility, will not only accept cans, but almost any kind of metal or car parts. Every Saturday between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM, numerous locals pull up in their pickups with bags and bags of cans, scrap metal, or small motors. The process is quick and easy.
Not only can recycling aluminum help a student’s wallet, but it helps the environment, too. According to Earth911.com, recycling one can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. It also takes as much energy to make three new cans from virgin material as it takes to make 60 cans from recycled material.
For students that have a car or pickup to store their cans, the payoff can be pretty good. A month’s worth of aluminum can easily net $10-$20. This payout can double if friends in a dorm or suite work together and all start recycling cans.
Burhenne believes more students might recycle if they knew the economic benefits. “It’s easy money. I just wish I had known sooner than my last semester of college how much money I could have saved.”
This article was written by Dave Hood, a student taking Media Writing 2 at Marietta College. Look for more articles from the class to appear on Writing on the Mall in the coming weeks. If you are interested in writing for Writing on the Mall, please e-mail patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.
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