How can I start a recycling center?

Question

I really want to start a recycling center! Where would I start? How can i get the funding?

Answer 1

First figure out where you would sell the recycled materials and what you would get for them. Then decide how big you wanted your business to be. The one I go to has a big piece of land a huge scale lots of bins and forklifts. They have maybe 10 employees at a time and people bring large trucks full of scrap to them.
You would need to know the laws specific to the business like here we need to collect drivers license number especially for copper wire since it is commonly stolen and sold. Also you would have to know about payroll taxes and business taxes and all the HR stuff like FMLA and what questions you can ask in interviews.
If you wanted to just start a small one you could simply collect recyclables then take them in to sell in your own vehicle.
Where you get the start up capital is the hard part, nobody will give you money unless they believe you will have profits. They want to see a business plan that is well written and well thought out and that you have enough of your money in the business to really care about it.
So you can pledge your home or any other business you have and use your investment money as a down payment then look for investors or partners.

Answer 2

If you don't have $20,000+ first go earn some capital and come back. The best way? Work for another recycler, eat rice and beans, save your money, watch and learn!

Go to a mall and ask permission to set up a nicely painted eco-recycling van or truck collecting recyclables. Pay people for aluminum cans which you can crush yourself and store in the garage. Also set up collection bins around town at smaller shopping centers, etc. Once you have 40,000 lb of them you can sell them directly to the mill. You will need to pay an 18 wheeler to ship them there. Contact your closest couple mills to know all the rules (they might want them bundled, etc). You can collect other items such as copper and sell them at a small increase to larger recyclers. Accept newspapers and other low value items for free and sell them to larger recyclers as well. After you have done this for a while and you know the ropes and have some more money saved, have a relationship with the mill, have other people who can help you, have written a business plan, etc. THEN go to the bank for a business loan if you are still happy and everything looks good. If you start out with a big loan you could ruin yourself. You will need to purchase a piece of land (hopefully with a rail spur) and some large equipment for moving massive quantities of scrap metal, newspapers, etc. Also talk to the town about who handles their recyclables and how to bid.

Answer 3

Easiest place to start is with pop cans. Goto several small plazas, gas stations, fast food places and offer to place can receptacles that you would take care of emptying and maintaining. Can be done also with some smaller minicipalities at the arenas, playgrounds etc.

Utilize the big blue barrels (if you have such around), and place lids on them with cutouts for the size of a can to fit easily. You should have a pickup truck for this (or at least a van - full size). If you have enough places the truck is easier to load and unload the cans. If a van you will need a container or straps to hold the barrels or cans in place.

You'll need a lot of the barrels and of course you require a can crusher (more than one can at a time type). You may have to make a large can crusher to accomodate the number of cans.

Yes you have to crush them as when you take them to the metal recycler you can carry a lot more crushed than normal size. They pay by the pound so it makes sense to take several hundred pounds at once.

Once established in this then you can expanded it to cover other recyclable items. Once you have a system in place it is easier to see problems and adjust it to other items.

Have fun!

Answer 4

Just start accepting peoples' trash.