The Green Routine

Oil derived products are ubiquitous. But, do you realize just how common they are? If you think you’ve shed your oil addiction, think again. I guarantee you will find at least one product in this list that surprises you. Oil derived products are more common than you think!

Pray to the oil gods, or they shall prey on you

1. Reusable Shopping Bags - Many reusable shopping bagson the market today are ironically made from the same oil derived materials they are designed to replace. Reusable shopping bags are typically made from non-woven polypropylene — PP or resin ID code 5 for short. While these bags are recyclable, I would recommend purchasing a heavy duty canvas reusable bag instead. Canvas reusable bags are made from cotton, and last longer.
2. Paper Cups - Paper cups are coated with plastic or wax in order to make them waterproof. We know plastic is derived from oil or natural gas, but did you know most wax is too? The type of wax used to waterproof paper cups is polyolefin wax — which is a polymer derived from oil or natural gas.
3. Candles - Speaking of wax, did you know that candles are also made from polyolefin wax? A natural alternative to burning polyolefin wax candles are beeswax candles.
4. Detergent - Most commercially available dish, dishwasher, and laundry detergents contain petroleum based surfactants. Surfactants are the part of the detergent that allows them to pull grease and oil from materials. It also increases water penetration while washing clothing. oil free alternatives are Methodand 7th Generationdetergents.
5. Polyester - You might be wearing oil derived clothing right now! Polyester is derived from PET plastic. The same material as 2 liter soda bottles. As a general rule, most products that start with the prefix “poly” are made of a plastic polymer. If you want to stay away from oil derived fabrics in your clothing, your best choices are hemp or organic cotton clothing.
6. Paint - House paint is made from acrylic latex, yes even the so called eco-friendly brands of paint. Eco-friendly paints are otherwise normal paints that do not produce unpleasant, or harmful odors. Eco-friendly paint is typically marketed as Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) free, but they are still derived from oil.
7. Foil packaging - Vacuum packed coffee, snack, and chip bags that have a thin metal coating on the interior are actually made of Mylar. Mylar is thinly stretched PET plastic, coated with a thin layer of aluminum, and sometimes finished off with a polyethylene laminate. An alternative to purchasing foodstuffs in Mylar packaging is to shop with reusable containers at farmer’s markets, or the bulk section in your grocery store.

I hope that this list has you thinking about the enormous role oil continues to play in our lives beyond the gas pump, heating our homes, and cooking our food. Together, I hope we can continue to identify more sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives to oil derived products.

Which items were you surprised to find are made of oil? What products would you have put on this list? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Now available in house or arrow shape

I’ve got a confession to make. Some of my best thinking happens in the shower; which is precisely why I don’t need this “Shower Time” digital shower timer hanging over my head like some sort of water conserving executioner.

But, my sometimes adoring readers, my loss is your gain. If you actually want this thing, leave me a comment. I’ll decide who gets it next Tuesday.

Contest rules: 1 entry per person, 18+ only

There is a retired gentleman who collects the discarded aluminum cans from our office weekly. He says he does it for some extra cash to spend on his full time hobby — fishing. Using his business model, I will show you how to make money recycling aluminum cans.

Recycling aluminum cans can be a big money maker if you play your cards right.

His business model is simple — he purchased several recycling bins, and with the permission of the local businesses, placed the recycling bins next to their vending machines. He gets paid to provide the service of collecting aluminum cans by the companies he contracts with, and he also gets to sell the aluminum cans to a local recycling company.

Once per week, the retired gentleman arrives to empty the recycling bins. His secret is volume. For our company alone, he services 4 separate 5 story buildings in the same business park. There are other businesses he services in the area as well.

He collects about 850 aluminum cans per building each week, or 3400 cans. At the going price of aluminum, he nets about $60 from the cans alone. It takes him a little over an hour to collect all of our aluminum cans. Factoring in his collection fee, and his relatively low operating costs, he is making over $60 per hour.

But, he only works a few hours per week.

Recycling is a Business that Scales Well

The retired gentleman is only interested in making a little extra fishing money by recycling. However, his business model is easily scalable into a full-time job, making $120,000 or more per year. But, why stop there? With enough clients, you might be able to turn recycling into a million dollar venture.

Think about this; as businesses grow they strive to find low cost ways to keep employees and customers on site. One of the ways they do this is through the use of vending machines. When workers stay on site, instead of heading out to 7-11 for a coffee or soda, they are more productive. Likewise, customers might spend more money at your store, or be willing to wait longer for your services if they are refreshed.

The waste that these vending machines produce is money in the hands of a recycling entrepreneur. Aluminum cans will likely continue to be the container of choice for vending machines, as they stack easily, and are more recyclable than plastic.

As such, recycling is a money making niche market that’s not likely to go away anytime soon.

How Many Cans are in a Pound of Aluminum?

Here’s some simple math - you’ll need to collect 34 cans to make a pound of aluminum. A pound of aluminum cans currently sells for around a dollar. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that charges deposits on aluminum cans, you’ll make an extra $1.70 a pound assuming a .05 cent per can deposit.

As you can see, you’re going to need to collect a great deal of cans in order to make the big money.

Where do I Collect Aluminum Cans

The best way to collect aluminum cans is to take a tip from the retired gentleman and let someone else do the aluminum can collecting for you.

If you were to go around collecting aluminum cans by hand, you would not make much money. Lucky for you, vending machine companies are lazy, and often leave the businesses they service the task of disposing of the thousands of aluminum cans their machines dispense each month.

This is how enterprising people, like yourself, make money recycling aluminum cans. Contact local businesses and offer to provide them with the service of picking up their discarded aluminum cans. You should be able to charge a modest monthly fee for this service, to cover the cost of the equipment and your time. In addition to collecting the monthly fee, you get to sell the scrap aluminum.

When you start a recycling business, you’re not just making money, you’re helping the environment. If you decide to put in a part-time effort like the retired gentleman who inspired this article, or go for a more full time venture, I’d like to hear how it’s working out for you in the comments.