Have you ever gotten store credit or cash for recycling your old clothes or
equipment? Some popular clothing stores, like Madewell, offer such programs. But did you know that smaller clothing chains or independently owned apparel stores may also have recycling initiatives that reward you for your efforts? It's worth asking them if they do!
Did you know, 92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills? Pretty disturbing. One easy way to tackle this issue is to purchase a "Take Back Bag" from the Trashie.io app for $20. Once you get it, fill it up with your unwanted clothes in any condition, and then mail it back using a prepaid shipping label. You'll get $50 in "TrashieCash" that you can use at stores like Lululemon as a thank-you for doing your part to reduce waste.
And those old shoes just sitting in your closet, taking up precious space can be donated to charities that give them to needy people or companies that recycle them to make other products. GotSneakers.com will pay you for your old sneakers - $7 per pair of like-new sneakers, $2 per pair in good condition, and $1 per pair that has heavy wear. Signing up is easy; they'll even send you a free recycling kit with prepaid postage!
And for all the tech enthusiast who have a lot of "last year" tech lying around, AT&T accepts qualifying mobile phones and applies their value to your monthly bill, or you can use it to buy AT&T accessories or a new phone. T-Mobile gives you credit for a new device when you trade in old smartphones. Verizon also has a trade-in program where you can exchange used qualifying smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets for store credit or to cover your Verizon wireless account payments. And if you prefer to trade in your old electronics for e-gift cards, you can check out Target or Walmart.
If you have empty cartridges, you'll be glad to know you can recycle them and earn rewards simultaneously! All you need to do is sign up for a loyalty member account at OfficeDepot.com. Once you have an account, you can bring any brand of empty cartridges you bought from any retailer into an Office Depot OfficeMax location. Plus, if you spend at least $10 on qualifying purchases that month, you'll earn $2 in rewards for each cartridge you bring in to recycle, up to 10 per month!
If you're a Staples customer, you can also earn rewards by recycling your empty cartridges. Sign up for a loyalty member account at Staples.com, and each cartridge you recycle (up to 20 per month) within 180 days after your purchase, you'll earn $2 in rewards! All you need to do is spend at least $50 online or in-store on toner.
Even dead batteries from your car, lawnmower, boat, or motorcycle can be recycled! take them to O'Reilly Auto to be recycled. For every eligible battery you recycle, you'll earn a $10 store gift card.
Lets not forget about sports equipment! 20,000 tons of Tennis balls alone end up in a landfill each year. Several programs are available for recycling tennis balls, one of which is Wilson's RecycleBalls. This nonprofit organization has recycled more than 20 million tennis balls since its establishment in 2016. If you have at least 100 used tennis balls, you can mail them to RecycleBalls in exchange for a suggested donation of $20. The organization then recycles your used tennis balls into Green Gold, a crumb rubber product easily recycled into tennis courts, sneakers, or horse footing. Alternatively, if any balls are still in good condition, RecycleBalls may resell them as dog balls. In addition, tennis ball cans can be recycled curbside bottles and cans.