Collecting returnable bottles at work - embarrassing?

[Jackal0]

Hello there,

at work, we have returnable bottles, which you can return for 20 (Euro) cents.
I'm looking around if I find some empty bottles which belong to nowbody, pick
them up and return them.

When I told my girlfriend about it, she told me, that she would never do it, especially
in front of colleagues because its too embarrassing.

I don't care, it's free money, even if it's not so much, but it will add over time.
And I will take all the money I'm gonna get.

What do you think?
Is it ok, or would it be to awkward for you?

 

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[Hackdroot]

Life became simpler when I stopped caring what everyone else thought about me.

 

[DeletedUser394]

Nothing wrong with doing what you have to do, in order to get to where you want to be.

 

[ZCP]

Have noticed that the only people who pick up coins off the ground are small children and those who don't need the money. That respect of money is often what got them into that position.....

 

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[Gsuz]

I wouldn't do it, simply because it's pretty much guaranteed that any activity you put your mind to generates more than collecting empty bottles for cents.

Let's say it takes you 5 minutes to collect 5 bottles.

5 min x 20 (avg. amount of work days/month) = 100 min
5 bottles x 20 = 100
100 x 0,2 € = 20 €

So it comes down to 12€/hr for collecting your co-workers empty bottles, I don't think that's a very good use of time. Depends on you though.

 

[eliquid]

I wouldn't do it, simply because it's pretty much guaranteed that any activity you put your mind to generates more than collecting empty bottles for cents.

Let's say it takes you 5 minutes to collect 5 bottles.

5 min x 20 (avg. amount of work days/month) = 100 min
5 bottles x 20 = 100
100 x 0,2 € = 20 €

So it comes down to 12€/hr for collecting your co-workers empty bottles, I don't think that's a very good use of time. Depends on you though.

You're assuming he has something else better to do RIGHT NOW in his free time.

He is at work, trading time away for money atm. In his current free time, he makes $0 probably and has found a way to make 12C an hour now.

Only if he actively has something he can put to action in his free time that can earn him more than 12C an hour does he need to be concerned.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

What do you think?

Your finances should take priority over what other people think. Nothing wrong with having a respect for money and seeing an opportunity while you're at work. In other words, f*ck them; collect the bottles.

 

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[Jesse Dallenbach]

I did this at my work place for 15 months; plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Put all the money collected into one account solely for that. Took in between 85-90 dollars a month. After 15 months my account had over $1,300 USD. Not to shabby

People at my work never made fun of me or gave me any sh*t, in fact most of them would just leave their bottles/cans on my desk for me.

When I told them how much I made they definetly were impressed. I quit doing it at work but I still turn in mine and my two neighbors bottles and cans every month.

Like another poster said who cares what other people think and if your girlie friend is to embarrassed and cares that much what her co-workers think tell her to toughen up because that is WEAK SAUCE! ;-)

GO FOR IT MAN! Good Luck!

- Jesse

 

[MKHB]

Just do it and see what happens from there,maybe.......

After a while you turned the tables and became the producer (Fastlane)???

Instead of just going around collecting bottles what if you came up with a plan; you had the bottles come to you.

What if you created an incentive or added convenience to throw away discarded bottles
for example: theme orientated trash recycle receptacles for specific places or events:

• Obtain approval from landowner/municipality to place your receptacles, at various high use areas fair, school, beach concerts ?????
• Have theme receptacles or animated receptacles or picture of a strike zone, soccer net, bullseye so that kids/people will be drawn to it.
• In really high traffic instances like fairs or concerts install a motion sensor mic or lever that every time a bottle is deposited the receptacle says something like "goaaaaaaaaal", "swish", "nice shot", says something funny or "way to do your part."
• Solicit sponsorship and have a custom play back tailored to a business, like...."now that your done with that why don't you head down to Crazy Jim's TV store for a great deal"......imagine the amount of beer bottles/cans you would get by the end of the day if you were at a Nascar event and the receptacle was your favorite drive logo???

Or maybe just plain old trash cans and ask if you can place them where you think people will discard bottles-kind of a knock off of the canisters they place in parking lots and people drop off clothes and books.

I have been working something like this in the states,recycling is here to stay and many municipalities and large corporations are always looking for ways to increase their sustainable image.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

@Jackal0

I think you might find this post valuable:

I recently reached out to an old substitute teacher of mine (He's not really a teacher). This guy is a self made millionaire and inspirational speaker. He ran across canada for god's sake!

He used to always come to our class and just talk for the entire period. Most of the kids wouldn't listen and thought this guy was crazy, but he was full of wisdom, I find it really sad how our school system teaches kids to just blatantly ignore people who spread positivity and try to motivate you to succeed.

Anyway, he would always tell us that our choices shape our lives, and that 99% of where you end up is gonna be your attitude. I really hold to heart what this guy had to say, he would also always share stories about his life and how his mindset got him where he is today.

He once told me a story about how he got a free car and free gas just by asking the car dealership that if he advertised their brand on a car if he could get it for free. Same thing with the gas. This guy was a genius, he also told me how after all his friends in highschool would party, he would go early in the morning the next day and pick up all the empty beer bottles and cash them in. His name is Eric Deegan.

I'm finally starting to understand what he was trying to teach me, and it correlates exactly to the teachings of the 'fastlane mindset'. I've learned that success isn't about the fancy cars or the big houses but your ATTITUDE! I already feel succesful and i'm not even rich, it's all about your mindset. That's what the fastlane means to me.

 

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[AllenCrawley]

Who cares what they think. Do what you do. I pick up pennies off the ground. Waste of my time? Some say yes but I have a respect for money that says if I see money freely laying around I pick it up. In contrast, I know someone who I watched in disbelief as he threw a handful of pennies in the trash can. He's poor. It's not surprising.

 

[socaldude]

You actually exposed a big part of fastlane success.

Doing things that others would consider embarrassing.

A lot of fastlane success requires ego-crushing activities.

Crappy jobs. Crappy cars. Crappy everything.

A real fastlaner is willing to live on the sidewalk in front of his high school crush.

Also, your life becomes a lot more easier and effective when you stop giving so much effort into what other people think about you.

 

[Guest3722A]

on a side note - one bottle collector around here I've seen picking up change on the ground outside of fast food drive-thru windows when they're closed

 

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[SenGracic]

Even if it's 5 cents I will pick it up, I don't care what people think.
I "respect'' money way too much to let it on the floor... I have my reasons though.

Do what you want to do and what you have to do so YOUR life gets better. I wish I had understood that a few years ago haha.

 

[Leo Hendrix]

Well I know of one guy from my hometown who had no formal education, started picking bottles of the street, did that endlessly, not long after went into business and he now owns several properties he leases out.

Not sure what other biz he is into, but I'd say he is doing quite well.

 

[Jackal0]

Thank you guys for all the valueable replies.

You're right, who cares what other people think.

 

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[Khalid Grant]

I'll tell you right now, I knew a guy in high school who paid for all his books and other expenses by picking up glass bottles around the school and returning them for a 10c deposit. Other kids didn't want to do it since the bottles could be "dirty".

Reading through the comments here is what came to my mind. Continue picking them up definitely but then take it to the next level.

You're picking them up at work? Make it more formal, talk to management and say you care about the environment and recycling and want to take the initiative to implement a bottle recycling program at your company. That will look and sounds good to them. Then get a nice collection container with some noteworthy graphics on it or something, put it in the cafeteria. Now this way you get all the credit, look good in front of management and don't have to pick up the bottles every one drops them in the container. At the end of the week you cash out.

If that goes well enough, guess what? You can approach other companies and tell them of your "bottle recycling" program and see if they want you to implement it at their business. Think of a vending machine type business model, build out the locations. Oh and if you do want to move onto something else, just like a vending machine business, you can sell it.

Might sound crazy but I know of a company that is doing the exact same thing and they cater to hotels, neighbourhoods (bigger bins obviously), businesses etc.

Just do it! Don't worry about what other people may think.