San Antonio, Texas, has a contract with Greenstar to handle recyclable plastic. The city accepts plastic numbered 1 through 7 and imprinted with the recycle emblem for its recycling program. If you have a plastic recycling center, contact a private company that specializes in buying scrap plastic. Arrange to sell your collected plastic recyclables to the recycling center. The amount of money received for recyclable plastic depends on the quality and quantity of the plastic.
Contact companies specializing in buying recycled plastic in Texas. Ask if the company services the San Antonio area. See if the plastic must be delivered or if they provide pick up service. Some companies only work with recycling centers that want to sell plastic.
Describe the plastic you are selling. You make more money supplying the plastic that is in demand. The company can decide if they are interested.
Make an appointment and gather all your plastic. The more highly recyclable pieces, the more money you are paid. Plastics numbered 1-6 are highly reusable. Found in a triangle on the bottom of the piece, the number tells you what materials are found in the plastic.
Weigh your plastic. Know how much plastic you are presenting so you are not cheated out of money. The buyer also weighs the plastic. After inspecting and weighing the plastic, the buyer tells you an amount he is willing to pay.
Accept payment. Depending on the arrangement, leave your plastic with the buyer or load buyer transport to have it hauled away.
References
- San Antonio: Solid Waste Management Department: Automated Recycling Collection
- United Nations Environment Programme. "Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry," Page 12. Download English PDF. Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. "Patterns of Suspended and Salp-Ingested Microplastic Debris in the North Pacific Investigated with Epifluorescence Microscopy." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. "A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health," Page 10. Accessed June 30, 2020.
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "Primary Microplastics in the Oceans: A Global Evaluation of Sources," Page 21. Accessed June 30, 2020.
- U.S. Geological Survey. "It Is Raining Plastic." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Science Direct. "Toxicity of Leachate from Weathering Plastics: An Exploratory Screening Study with Nitocra Spinipes." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Yale Environment 360. "Piling Up: How China’s Ban on Importing Waste Has Stalled Global Recycling." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- PLoS ONE 9(12): e111913. Eriksen M, Lebreton LCM, Carson HS, Thiel M, Moore CJ, Borerro JC, et al. "Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea," Access June 30, 2020.
- United Nations Environment Program. "The State of Plastics," Page 2. Download English report. Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Marine Pollution Bulletin. "Estimation of Lost Tourism Revenue in Geoje Island from the 2011 Marine Debris Pollution Event in South Korea." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Communications Biology. "Plastic Leachates Impair Growth and Oxygen Production in Prochlorococcus, the Ocean's Most Abundant Photosynthetic Bacteria. " Accessed June 30, 2020.
- MIT Technology Review. "Understanding the Ocean's Smallest Creatures." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Clean Seas. "Tide Turners." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- The World. "America's Grungy 'Recycled' Plastic Is Creating Wastelands in Asia." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- European Commission. "European Parliament Votes for Single-Use Plastics Ban." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- World Resources Institute. "127 Countries Now Regulate Plastic Bags. Why Aren't We Seeing Less Pollution?" Accessed June 30, 2020.
- National Conference of State Legislatures. "State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- U.S. Congress. "H.R.5845 - Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Eurostat Statistics Explained. "Municipal Waste Statistics," See "Municipal Waste Treatment." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Yale Environment 360. "As China Pushes Waste-to-Energy Incinerators, Protests Are Mounting." Accessed June 30, 2020.
- Waste 360. "The State of Waste-to-Energy in the U.S." Accessed June 30, 2020.
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Writer Bio
Splitting her time between El Paso, Texas and Philadelphia, Penn., Jade Blue began writing in 2009. Blue has written for various websites, specializing in travel-related topics. She holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Philadelphia University.