12 ways to turn rubbish into cash, from empty make-up to toilet roll tubes
MONEY savers can tidy up both their home and finances with these simple tips – and get hundreds of pounds for unwanted goods.
They say one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure and that’s never been truer as The Sun reveals the ways people are making money from undesired items.
From used wine cork bottles to even toilet roll tubes, you might be surprised to discover how your rubbish can turn into cash.
Many shops also give you money back to spend in store when you return unwanted clothes or recycled your used plastic.
Also remember that if you're selling goods on more than a casual basis, you may need to pay tax.
You can find out more about this on the website.
We’ve had a look at what the experts have to say on making money from rubbish and here’s what we found.
Sell used wine corks
Wondering what to do with a wine cork after you've finished your bottle of Pinot Noir?
A quick browse on eBay reveals plenty of used bottle stoppers being sold, with many labelled as being ideal for craft and wedding decorations.
At the time of writing, one seller was offering - that works out at 10p a cork.
Say you drank one bottle of wine a week, that could potentially earn you £5.20 a year.
Give back your old clothes
Save your old clothes ending up in the landfill, and your bank account an extra hammering, by taking advantage of high street return programmes.
stores nationwide will give you a £5 voucher when you hand in a bag of clothes to the cash desk.
These are then turned into new products, remake collections or cleaning cloths.
While rewards customers with ten per cent for each donation of unwanted garments.
to give shoppers a £5 M&S voucher when they hand in old clothes.
This must include at least one M&S garment and the voucher can only be used on clothing, homeware and beauty products worth £35 or more.
M&S also gives customers who dump their unwanted clothes into its “shwop bins” 50 Sparks points as part of the shop's loyalty scheme.
If you donated one bag of clothes every three months and received a £5 voucher each time, that would save you £20 a year.
Sell old make-up
Make-up can be expensive so you might as well get some cash back for empty containers.
will give you a lipstick worth £17.50 in return for six used MAC containers at one of its counters or online.
While at Lush, you can exchange five empty containers previously purchased from the store for a free face mask worth £7.50.
Body Shop has a special deal for members of its loyalty club, Love Your Body, where you'll receive a £5 voucher when you return five of its bottles, tubs, tubes or pots.
And The Perfume Shop gives you ten per cent off when you bring in old bottles from any retailer.
If you took part in the MAC return twice a year, you'd get two lipsticks worth £35, while returning Lush containers every three months would see you nab freebies worth £22.50.
For the same frequency at Body Shop, you get earn £20 in vouchers for visiting every three months.
Sell old coat hangers
Another one from MoneySavingExpert, they found coat hangers sell on eBay for an average of £2 - but some hangers went for as much as £30.
They found 2,298 bundles being sold over three months.
So if you've managed to find some spare that haven't been trodden on or broken, you could make money and save yourself some wardrobe space.
If you donate 10 coat hangers every three months for £2 a go, you'll get £80.
Sell old toilet tubes
Yes, even empty toilet roll tubes can be worth some money, according to .
Martin Lewis' saving website found were selling for as much as 14p on eBay, with over 152 bundles being sold in a three-month period.
says the average person used between one and two toilet rolls a week.
Over a year, this means you could make roughly £14.50 for a trip to the throne.
Naomi Willis of money-saving website told The Sun: "We first noticed it back in 2015 after randomly browsing on eBay - I'd have never believed it otherwise!"
Sell your old ink cartridges
There's not much you can do with an old ink cartridge, so you might as well sell it.
reports how selling website has previously offered £2 for a HP 45/514645A cartridge.
Tesco shoppers can also get Clubcard points in exchange for certain cartridges, as part of a deal with The Recycling Factory.
You can choose to either collect up to 125 Clubcard points or donate up to £1.25 to Tesco charity partners.
to find out which cartridges are part of the programme.
Recycle your old bottles in supermarkets
Several supermarkets have launched reverse vending machines were you can bring back plastic goods in exchange for vouchers.
Sainsbury’s will pay you 5p for every plastic bottle or drinks can you recycle, while Iceland launched a similar trial in May last year and pays customers with vouchers worth 10p.
Meanwhile Morrisons, which also began trialling the scheme in 2018, gives shoppers 100 "More" loyalty points worth £1 for every 20 bottles recycled.
But take note that you'll you need to earn 5,000 points before you get a Morrisons voucher.
Sainsbury's machines only accept bottles and cans from brands that are sold in store, such as Sainsbury's own-brands.
Say you recycle one bottle a week, that could earn you up to £5.20 in Iceland.
Use reusable cups in coffee shops
Most coffee shops reward customers for helping to save the environment by reusing their own cup.
customers get 50p off their hot beverage, while gives customers a 25p incentive.
Drinks at are discounted by 25p, and gives 20p off to customers who use the bakery chain's own £2 reusable cup.
Finally, gives shoppers an additional stamp on their loyalty card for reusing a cup.
Say you get a cup of coffee at Pret a Manger every day Monday to Friday, you'll potentially make £130 back from the company over a year.
Sell your old mobile phone
No longer got any use for your mobile phone? Save it from gathering dust in a drawer and make some cash in the process.
The Sun has previously revealed the best sites to sell your old phone, including Mazuma Mobile, Music Magpie and Envirofone.
While some sites will give you a quote straight up, such as , others like eBay will give you the option to auction.
Unless you put a reserve bid, you have no control over how much your item will sell for so be prepared for it to go for a lower price.
However, it can work out in your favour if a bidding war is sparked.
Sell your scrap metal
If your car is no longer in service, you might want to consider selling it for scrap metal to make some extra dosh.
And it's not just your old vehicle, you can also sell your old appliances and plumbing equipment.
Just make sure the metal dealer you want to exchange hands with is licensed by a local authority.
You can also only sell your own scrap metal, as you need a special licence to go round collecting bits to flog.
The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 also states that you shouldn't pay, or accept, cash for your scrap metal.
According to , the most valuable types of scrap are copper, while steel will fetch you the least money.
The amount you'll make will vary from place to place, but in 2013 it was revealed that Sydenham Scrap Metal yard in south London turned over £7million a year.
Sell your old electronics
Also from Moneywise, there are plenty of websites that'll offer you good money for your old laptop, Macbook, desktop PC.
When we looked on they gave the example of a MacBook Pro that was being sold for £285.
While there was also a Windows 8 / 10 HP Intel Core computer being sold for £200.
Your computer must be in fully working order to be sold and the buyer will likely inspect it once they've received it.
Cashinyourgadgets.co.uk offers a courier service so you don't even need to worry about posing off a heavy item.
Do a car boot
You can sell near enough anything at a car boot and they're a great way to clear out unwanted goods.
There's the luxury of setting your own prices but be aware that most places charge a fee for pitching up.
claims British shoppers spend £1.5 billion in car boot sales every year, so there's no arguing that money can be made.
To maximise your chances of flogging, the website recommends you research your prices first.
The Sun recently found shoppers will pay up to £14 for second-hand shoes, so you might be surprised with what people will buy.
MORE ON MONEY
Here are some more easy ways to make cash from your trash with company recycling schemes.
And these are the unwanted items around your home that could be worth hundreds if you sold them.
If you sell on eBay, beware of crooks who are currently preying on people flogging unwanted Christmas presents.
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