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Where to Recycle Cans

According to Waste Management, Inc., Americans drink at least one beverage from an aluminum can every day, yet only 50 percent of those get recycled. This is unfortunate, because aluminum is a sustainable metal that can be recycled indefinitely without any reduction in its quality. With curbside recycling gaining in popularity and the numerous recycling centers located throughout the country, finding a way to recycle your aluminum cans couldn't be easier.

  1. Benefits

    • Recycling aluminum cans provides countless benefits. Not only does it save energy, resources, time and money but it also prevents excess materials from ending up in the waste stream. According to the popular environmental website Earth911, the 54 billion cans recycled in the U.S. in 2007 saved the energy equivalent of 15 million barrels of oil--the country's entire gas consumption for one day.

    Statistics

    • The data surrounding the benefits of aluminum recycling is impressive. According to the Earth911 site, recycling just one can saves enough energy to power a 100 watt bulb for four hours or a television set for three hours. Tossing that can away, however, wastes as much energy as pouring out half of the can's volume in gasoline. This is because making new cans from used ones takes 95 percent less energy; 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce just one can using new materials.

    Background

    • Aluminum is fairly easy to recycle. First, cans are gathered at large scrap processing companies where they are smashed into dense bales and shipped to aluminum companies. At the aluminum companies, the condensed cans are shredded, crushed and stripped of any of their decorations by a burning process. The now small pieces of aluminum are then loaded into furnaces where they are melted and blended with new aluminum and poured into receptacles. The final product is flattened by a rolling mill to its desired thickness. New cans can be ready to return to stores in just 60 days.

    Locations

    • Finding places that accept aluminum cans for recycling is simple. According to Waste Management, there are more than 10,000 such places strewn across the U.S. One simple way to locate a place is to visit the Earth911 website and type in your zipcode for a list of nearby facilities. You can also look in your phone book under "recycling," "scrap metal," or "aluminum." In Europe, the Bureau of International Recycling can help you find a list of aluminum recyclers.

    Considerations

    • Before you head to your local recycling facility, it may help to call ahead and inquire about their requirements. Some places prefer cans to be rinsed and flattened before they'll accept them. While you're at it, you may also want to ask about selling the cans for cash. Some facilities will pay you for your efforts. And it's not just cans that are recyclable--other types of aluminum, from siding and gutters to car parts and lawn furniture, can also be recycled.

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