How to Start a Career in Waste Recycling

6 Tips to Start a Career in Waste Recycling

A career in waste recycling can not only be profitable but can seriously do some good to the earth’s environment. It’s not a surprise to most people that our environment is deteriorating. The majority of the largest companies have not opted out to use alternative resources that are less destructive to the planet. That’s why a career in waste recycling, particularly plastics recycling, is very rewarding because you take care of not only yourself but also our environment.

Recently, scientists have even rallied to protest their findings of environmental catastrophes that for the most part have been shushed by large conglomerates. The environment needs our help, and a career in recycling can genuinely kill two birds with one stone.

How to Start a Career in Waste Recycling

On that note, any professional needs a bot-beating resume that can pass applicant tracking systems and weed out any other competing applications in the job market. Job seekers who are interested in investing in a top online resume writing service will find what they’re seeking online. Acceptance from a recruiter is a step away

Moving on, here’s a solid guide on starting out in the recycling field:

1. Choose Which Material To Recycle

For those who want to jump-start a career in recycling, then they need to start with the first step. Think about which material your career/business will be recycling. There are many options to consider, and researching the profitability and usefulness of the material will be key driving factors for your career to succeed. Here are some examples:

  • Aluminum Cans
  • Paper
  • Plastics
  • Textiles
  • Glass
  • Electronics
  • Cardboard

Find out which material in your proximity is easily found, or stick to a choice and expand on it. A good factor to always consider is whether the recyclable material is profitable or not.

 

On a side note, professionals jumpstarting any career always need a CV at their disposal. Skillhub can help you connect with a career advice expert if you’ve ever wondered, “Can anyone help me write my cv?” since we know it can be overwhelming to take care of everything.

Moving on, it’s not as if professionals aren’t allowed to recycle more than one material. If that’s the goal then it’s possible but it will prove more complicated than sticking to one material.

2. Executing A Market Survey

Growth and success in a career field require devotion to understanding it. By conducting a market survey, professionals can collect data for the present and the future of their company. They need to do this in order to avoid unnecessary failure and gain beneficial experience.

If your dream job is to be a successful waste recycling business, then don’t skip this step. Apply yourself to the career, and through time and effort, results can be found.

A market survey is essentially the research and analysis of the market of a specific field/product. The research, of course, includes customer preferences. Market surveys can let businesses find out the buying potential of products, and so on.

3. Identify, Extract, Strategize

Now it’s time to identify a niche in your market, extract it, and strategize from there (business plan). Individuals can shine through the art of business creation, so if a career in a business such as waste recycling is your forte, it will start showing by this stage.

A successful career in waste recycling can be achieved through the identification of a certain niche in the market that needs to be filled. Once that niche is identified, the professional can extract it and start strategizing.

paper recycling

For example, viral influencers and business owners Ms. Trautman and Mr. Max Steitz founded their company ‘A Glass Half Full’ in college. They went viral thanks to their documentation of their business and idea, and now they’re using recycled glass to turn it into fake sand. They want to combat coast erosion, but this also gives them an opportunity to sell fake sand to businesses that need it.

In fact, sand is a commodity with such a high demand that it caused ’Sand Wars’ where companies were fighting to own sand that was to be exported. If you don’t believe us, just search up ‘Sand Wars’ on any search engine and read up on this ridiculous story.

4. Acquire Capital

Depending on your own financial status, capital will be needed to get the resources, equipment, and money to pay employees. Your duties as a business owner will be to acquire enough capital so that the waste recycling business will stay afloat and expand.

Of course, not everybody has the money to just start a business like that. For the most part, we’re all living on a very limited monthly salary, so acquiring capital will need you to be resourceful. Here are some ideas on where small business owners can get capital:

  • Bank loans
  • Business And Industry Guaranteed Loan Program
  • Startup companies can take advantage of ‘The Small Business Administration’ for capital resources in the US.
  • The Sustainable Jobs Fund
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • State loans, grants, and subsidies

5. Take Care Of Legal Obligations

A career in any field requires the tackling of tedious tasks such as legal obligations and dogmatic bureaucracy. It is what it is, and although this might be one of the most tedious parts, it is a necessary evil. So, take care of the demands in this area to avoid any nasty surprises. Here are some pivotal points to take care of:

  • Choosing a business structure
  • Registering with the IRS
  • Getting a business license or permit

Get counsel from a lawyer friend who knows the specific field of law pertaining to business to help clear any confusion, but at some point, most professionals will probably have to consult and pay a good lawyer to help them progress.

6. Finding The Workspace

This is pretty self-explanatory. By this point, we congratulate you on your progress. It’s time to hunt down the recycling space to rent/buy it. Remember, recycling equipment needs a pretty big operational area, so a big workspace in an isolated area would be optimal. You don’t want to bother any people living nearby with noise.

recycling technologies

Final Thoughts

We hope this article has helped our aspiring readers clear some confusion as to how they can jump-start a career in this specific field. Remember, devotion and consistency come first when pursuing big business ventures, and there’s a lot to consider. It will take a lot of commitment on your part but if you stick to it, everything can be worth it.

author avatar
Salman Zafar
Salman Zafar is the CEO of BioEnergy Consult, and an international consultant, advisor and trainer with expertise in waste management, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, environment protection and resource conservation. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biogas technology, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. Salman has participated in numerous national and international conferences all over the world. He is a prolific environmental journalist, and has authored more than 300 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. In addition, he is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability through his blogs and portals. Salman can be reached at salman@bioenergyconsult.com or salman@cleantechloops.com.

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