The recycling industry appears to be one of the most important in recent times because of its impact on ensuring that we have a safe environment. Though it seems simple, plastic contamination is a serious issue that can result in environmental degradation and cause several health hazards. What is the alternative to throwing away old stuff or plastic items that you no longer need? Have it recycled and sell it online to make some money for yourself.

If you are hearing about this for the first time, you are most likely wondering how this will be possible? It is possible, and in this article, we shall be running you through some of the things that you can do with your old stuff to make some money out of it online. We shall also provide you with some helpful recycling ideas and the best tips to sell old stuff online.

What Can You Do With Your Old Stuff?

Not knowing what we can do with our old stuff is the reason why many of us throw them away. If we know that there are several ways we can recreate these things and make something new from them, maybe we would hold on to them some more. Let’s examine three things you can do with your old stuff other than throwing it away.

• Sell your old stuff online

Whether it is a cloth item, a home accessory, or an electronic, there is almost nothing that cannot be sold online. How much money you can make and how fast you can sell old stuff are determined by how you go about it. Technology keeps advancing at a swift pace, and there are several platforms that you can use to sell your old stuff online. You can use popular platforms to sell your old electronic stuff, including Gazelle, Decluttr, Glyde, Amazon Seller, and Craigslist, among others.

For clothing, you can make use of Swap.com or Poshmark to reach a wider audience. Selling your old stuff on these sites is important because where you are selling online matters. These online marketplaces have built a reputation over the years and have several users coming in daily to check for items.

• Upcycle your old stuff

What one person writes off, another person desires, and that’s why upcycling your old stuff can be an excellent way to make a lot of money from it. The good thing about upcycling your old stuff is that you can sell it for more if correctly done. A good example is a glass vase in your home. Instead of throwing away that broken glass vase in your home, why not consider how well you can upcycle it so that your thrash now becomes someone’s treasure.

It is essential to mention that recycling and upcycling may appear similar, but several features differentiate them. An upcycled product may not necessarily change its form. Instead, it is modified to appear better than it currently does. A good example is an old desk, which when upcycling might involve you painting or respraying it or doing some carpentry work on it that makes it more appealing than it used to be.

• Recycle your old stuff

As we get new stuff, there is always the urge to throw away our old stuff, which is understandable. However, before you do that, stop and imagine other things you can do with that item. Unlike upcycling, recycling means that you transform old stuff from what it used to be into something entirely different.

Using the old desk as an example again. If you are to recycle it, you can think of several things you can use the wood for after dismantling it instead of just throwing it away. Another example is picking up an empty bottle and transforming it into a chandelier or a shower base.

Recycling Ideas That You Can Consider For Your Old Stuff

• Create a vertical garden with plastic bottles

Bottles are one of the most versatile items that can be recycled. There are a thousand and more things that you can do with a plastic bottle other than throwing it away. One thing you can do with a plastic bottle is to create a vertical garden with it. Get as many plastic bottles as you can and some ropes as well. Make use of a knife or blade to carve out a part of the bottle.

You can maintain the same design for all the bottles or try out multiple designs. Get some nails stuck into the wall where you want to create the garden on. Use the ropes to fasten the bottles to the nails and have plants placed in all the bottles. Imagine doing this in your home and the beauty it will bring to it. You can also make it a business and do it for as many people who want a vertical garden in their homes.

• Make bags with old CDs

Do you have many CDs in your home that you are considering the possibility of discarding? Have you considered how much negative impact disposing of those CDs will have on the environment? How about you use those CDs to make small fancy bags and sell them online? No doubt you must be wondering how this is possible, probably because you have not seen anyone do it before. All you need are old CDs, cardboard, glue, scissors, and a pair of old jeans.

Trim the CD to fit into the shape you want the bag to look. Place the CD on the cardboard and cut the cardboard to match it. Make use of the glue to join both together before gluing it to the jeans after you must have trimmed them. Use your scissors to trim the jeans to make sure it fits the CD size well. Cut out a sleeve from the jeans that will serve as the handle and attach it to the bag. You can do that with old CDs to make money instead of just throwing them away.

• Use plastic bottles to create a chandelier

A chandelier is usually always very expensive as it sometimes costs a fortune depending on the type you want. However, what’s the point of buying something that you can create by yourself and even sell to other people? Sounds hilarious, right? Yes, until you find out how easy it is for anyone to do it using plastic bottles. Get as many plastic bottles as you can and have them trimmed just like the chandelier you want to imitate. Put the trimmed bottles together using glue, and your chandelier is ready.

Note that these ideas are just some of the many that exist, and to have a better understanding of how to go about them, you might need to watch some YouTube videos. Let us examine some of the available options if you look to make money from your old stuff.

Important Tips Needed to Sell Your Old Stuffs Online

Not many people want to buy old stuff, especially on the internet. So, if you must sell your old stuff online, you must know the best possible way to go about it. To do this, these helpful tips for selling old items online will be of great help.

• Do a market analysis: Don’t just upcycle or recycle old stuff and put it online expecting that people will buy, no. Instead, do an extensive market analysis to ensure some people need the old item you are recycling. When selling old items online, it is best to sell to an existing customer base instead of creating one for yourself.
• Keep the price moderate: Remember that you are selling an old item, and as such, you should not expect people to pay as much as they would for a new item. This is very important if the item is one that is common already. Keep the prices moderate, and to do this, you may have to check your competitors’ prices. The higher the cost of old items, the lower the chances of you getting a buyer online.
• If it’s not worth it, don’t sell it: While it is true that one person’s thrash qualifies as another person’s treasure, you have to understand that people want to buy value. Is the old item you are putting up for sale offering the value your target audience wants? You need to provide an objective answer to do this if you’re going to make a lot of money off selling old items on the internet. If it appears like it isn’t worth it, you need to work on recycling or upcycling it better. If, after all these, it still seems like it doesn’t worth it, then don’t sell it.

Save the environment, and the many people affected by the environmental hazard disposing of some of these items may cause by considering ways to re-use old stuff. You can also re-invent these items and put them up for sale on the internet to make some money for yourself. You can consider several ideas, but make sure to hold on to the tips of selling old stuff online that have been discussed above.