Estimate revenue from selling recyclable materials. Enter tons and market prices for paper, plastic, glass, metal, and cardboard.
Recyclable materials have market value. Cardboard sells for $50–150 per ton, aluminum cans for $800–1,200 per ton, and scrap steel for $150–300 per ton. For businesses that generate significant volumes of clean, sorted recyclables, selling these materials can offset waste management costs or even generate net revenue.
The recycling commodity market fluctuates based on global demand, oil prices, and contamination levels. Clean, source-separated materials command premium prices, while mixed or contaminated loads may be worth little or even carry processing fees.
This calculator estimates annual recycling revenue by allowing you to enter the tons of each material stream and the current market price. Use it to evaluate whether self-marketing recyclables (rather than paying a hauler) would be profitable, or to forecast revenue for a municipal recycling program.
Tracking this metric consistently enables energy professionals and facility managers to identify consumption trends and implement efficiency improvements before costs escalate unnecessarily. This measurement provides a critical foundation for energy auditing and sustainability reporting, helping organizations meet regulatory requirements and voluntary environmental commitments.
Recyclables have real market value that often goes unrealized. This calculator shows the potential revenue from selling your recyclable materials, turning a cost center into an income stream. Precise quantification supports regulatory compliance and sustainability reporting, ensuring that energy data meets the standards required by auditors and industry certification bodies.
Revenue = Σ(Material Tons × Market Price per Ton)
Result: $1,400/year
Cardboard: 5 tons × $100 = $500. Aluminum: 0.5 tons × $1,000 = $500. Steel: 2 tons × $200 = $400. Total annual revenue = $1,400.
Cardboard (OCC): $50–150/ton. Mixed paper: $0–40/ton. Newspaper: $30–80/ton. Aluminum cans: $800–1,200/ton. Steel/tin cans: $150–300/ton. HDPE plastic: $200–500/ton. PET plastic: $100–350/ton. Glass: $0–30/ton (or negative in many markets). Prices fluctuate with global demand.
Self-marketing recyclables (selling directly to mills or scrap dealers) typically earns higher prices but requires sufficient volume, storage space, a baler or compactor, and logistics management. For most small generators, a recycling hauler is more practical even at lower net returns.
Source-separate materials at the point of generation. Keep materials clean and dry. Bale or compact to reduce transport costs. Build relationships with multiple buyers to negotiate better prices. Track market prices quarterly and adjust contracts accordingly.
Aluminum is the most valuable common recyclable at $800–1,200/ton. Copper wire is even higher at $3,000–7,000/ton. Cardboard is the most commonly recycled by volume, worth $50–150/ton.
Significantly. Cardboard prices can swing from $50 to $200/ton within a year. Aluminum is more stable. Mixed paper prices dropped dramatically in 2018 when China restricted imports. Always check current market prices.
Yes, dramatically. Clean, dry, source-separated materials command top prices. A single contaminated load can be rejected or charged a processing penalty. Investing in source separation always pays off.
For most materials, the volumes are too small. However, aluminum cans ($0.30–0.60/lb), scrap metal, and in bottle-deposit states, glass and plastic bottles, can generate small amounts of income.
Recycling brokers act as intermediaries between generators and end markets. They aggregate materials from multiple sources, handle logistics, and pay generators based on market prices minus a commission.
If you generate more than 1–2 tons per month, a cardboard baler ($3,000–10,000) can pay for itself quickly. Baled cardboard is worth $20–50 more per ton than loose cardboard and takes far less storage space.