| One of the easiest (and best) ways of making | | | | When your trailer is full of old newspapers, you |
| extra money is by collecting old newspapers and | | | | can either take them directly to your recycling |
| selling them to a "recycling plant" in your area. | | | | plant and sell the load, or take them to your |
| Just look around your own home--in the garage | | | | storage area, unload them, and get everything |
| or the basement. What do you do with the old | | | | organized. It's very important, though, that you |
| newspapers after you've read them? Most likely | | | | get right back to the job of knocking on doors |
| they are piled up in a corner of the garage or | | | | and collecting more newspapers and cardboard. |
| basement until one of your kids asks if he can | | | | Some people will (foolishly) collect a load, take it in |
| haul them off for the school or Cub Scout paper | | | | for sale, and then waste the time gloating over |
| drive. Or maybe your wife and kids get ambitious | | | | the easy money they've just made. One load |
| some weekend, clean out the garage and haul all | | | | won't make you rich or even pay for your time. |
| those newspapers off to the collection truck at | | | | Get right back on the job and collect as many |
| the local shopping center. | | | | loads as the daylight hours will allow. |
| It's true that selling stacks of newspapers you've | | | | Make the same rounds; follow the same collection |
| accumulated during the past couple of months or | | | | route, at least once every two weeks. Once |
| so won't make you rich, or really mount too | | | | you've got the routine working well, you'll be |
| much of an extra income. But think about the | | | | ready to hire a couple of high school or college |
| stacks of old newspapers you would have if you | | | | students to help, perhaps with another car and |
| were to collect and haul away for the people in | | | | trailer. |
| your neighborhood--say a ten-pound stack of | | | | The best way to pay your help is with a |
| newspapers from each house on your street | | | | percentage of the tonnage you sell. And then too, |
| every Saturday. The picture changes, doesn't it? | | | | once you have it all together, you'll want to go |
| If you're serious, and get yourself properly | | | | with a truck or trailer that allows you to haul a |
| organized, you can easily make $300 or more | | | | couple of tons of paper per load. |
| every weekend. | | | | It's important that you make regular rounds, |
| Right now, the going rate for old newspapers is | | | | calling on the same houses regularly. After about |
| about $50 a ton, depending upon your area. Most | | | | six months of this, you'll be ready to open a local |
| recycling depots prefer the paper lose rather than | | | | recycling depot. |
| bundled or sacked. Check with the recycling plant | | | | This simply means taking the accumulation of |
| you plan to sell to before delivery to them. | | | | paper out of your home or garden shed ad |
| Cardboard--ordinary cardboard boxes that have | | | | moving it to a business location. Because of your |
| been flattened--is bringing approximately $75 a | | | | advertising in the newspapers, and the sign on |
| ton. If you're going to collect old newspapers, you | | | | your truck or trailer, people will be calling you |
| may just as well take cardboard too. Most people | | | | during the week to come and pick up paper they |
| have old boxes around that are just taking up | | | | have ready for you. Also, your neighbors will very |
| space, ad some will even pay you to get rid of | | | | likely be dropping by with armloads of paper for |
| them. | | | | you from time to time, as well. Specifically, these |
| You start clearing a space in your garage for | | | | are the reasons you'll need storage space to |
| storage. One side of a two-car garage, or just an | | | | store paper in your garage or other storage area |
| 8 by 12 foot space would be sufficient. If you | | | | until you have enough to load up and take to the |
| have a garden shed that is dry, that would work | | | | recycling plant. |
| well also. Some collectors even rent space in a | | | | One of the best locations for your recycling depot |
| neighborhood mini-warehouse. | | | | is an abandoned or closed down service station |
| Next, you should place and ad in your community | | | | perhaps a vacant, or even a corner of a large |
| newspaper or the weekly shopping news, | | | | shopping center parking era. You'll need a scale |
| something like this: Junk, old newspapers and | | | | (you can rent or lease one of these for a small |
| cardboard boxes hauled away. Phone 123-4567. | | | | amount), and a quick set-up tent or large truck. |
| Then visit your neighbors. Tell them you are | | | | What you want to do is establish a location where |
| collecting and hauling away all the old newspapers | | | | people can come to you they bring their |
| and boxes in the neighborhood each week. You | | | | newspapers and two cents a pound for cardboard |
| might offer them $5 a month if they' have | | | | boxes. You and hire someone to man this center |
| everything ready for you when you make your | | | | for you during the day or perhaps only opens |
| weekend collection round. | | | | between 4 and 6 o'clock in the afternoons. |
| On Saturdays, starting at about 9:00 a.m., rent an | | | | Advertise your hours, and be dependable, so that |
| open trailer and hitch it to your car. If you have a | | | | people can count on you. |
| pick-up truck, so much the better. With your wife | | | | Even though you have a collection depot, you'll still |
| and kids, a coupe of neighbor boys, or perhaps a | | | | want to continue your weekend collection rounds. |
| couple of teenage "huskies" you've hired through | | | | But with a collection depot, you can hire other |
| your local high school, start making your rounds. | | | | people to do the driving, knock on doors, make |
| You drive the car with the trailer. Your helpers, | | | | the collections and transfer their loads into the |
| one on each side of the street, knock on each | | | | depot facility. If it's a big truck or trailer, you'll be |
| door and ask the residents if they have any old | | | | selling ten to fifteen tons of paper whenever you |
| newspapers or cardboard boxes you can haul | | | | make your trips to the recycling plant. |
| away for them. | | | | Another important thing you should think about |
| It would be advantageous for you to have a large | | | | doing is getting the whole community involved |
| sign on each side of your trailer, and on each side | | | | with you. Get them to thinking about recycling |
| of the car as well. It might read: Paper Collection | | | | paper and selling to you. Run some promotions; |
| Service. | | | | work for free publicity; and be conspicuous. Don't |
| Visit the people you've talked to on your block | | | | be embarrassed; everyone is aware of the need |
| first. That will give you some paper in the trailer | | | | for recycling averting that can be recycled. And |
| and from there, you just expand. Go to the next | | | | you'll be admired as someone with the ambition to |
| block and the next, driving up and down the | | | | make it happen, picking up a good second income |
| streets, visiting, stopping at all the homes, in an | | | | while you're doing it. |
| ever expanding ripple from your own street. | | | | |