The Dirty Truth About Aluminum Cans & Why You Shouldn't Crush Them
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- 📈 Check Scrap Prices: iScrapApp.com/ - Do you have aluminum cans that you want to recycle at the scrap yard? In this video, we explore why some scrap yards may refuse to accept them due to the risk of bugs and food residue. We also explain why crushing aluminum cans may not always be the best option and what you can do to ensure that your cans are accepted and recycled properly. Watch now to learn more about the challenges of recycling aluminum cans in the scrap yard!
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My scrapyard doesn't seem to care if I crush the cans, all I have is a car right now so I like to get as many as possible in at once, but good video Tom
If your yard is okay with it, then definitely go for it. Please clean them out, and they'll love you for it!
I always turn my cans upside down and then crush them and then the liquid squirts out of them, is that good enough?
I used to work at a salvage yard that bought and sold aluminum cans and they got a lot of cans from bars.We stored the bags of cans inside of a semi trailer. That was quite a smell going into that trailer on a hot summer day.
Something we don't want to experience 🤢
@@iScrapApp Mike Rowe weeps
I’ve never scrapped cans. Where im at (Norway), be have one of those deposit return schemes, and the cans are so light, that it brings more money to just stockpile them and turn them in when the bucket/bag/tub overflows. Same with plastic bottles. Also, i wash them out before I junk them. Otherwise it stinks and makes a mess.
Thanks for mentioning the tabs... I fell for that the very first time i went to a scrap yard about 12 years ago. And always clean your cans for your pile and for the scrap yard's pile!
Glad to help
Thank you for addressing this issue,Tom!
Thanks for watching!
I think one yard I go to actually gives like 2¢ more per pound for crushed cans. In the end I watch them dump them all into a machine that flattens them and spits them into a large open top bin, then they dump them in the compactor that bails them.
Guess this yard likes things a certain way. Everyone is different
Thanks for this post Tom I was wondering about your views on aluminum cans. I can see your point about the weight in the can problem and the stink that comes with it.
The smell of cans left out on a hot summer day....🤮
Hey Tom, thanks for all the good information you put out. However, and I appreciate that you are open to others perspectives, in the states where there is a bottle bill those tabs can provide a little more income. They are not more valuable than the can like you said but when they return the can for the deposit they still get the full nickel even though the tab is taken off. Save those tabs and either melt them down or put them with the other aluminum.
Yes, I've done this when my collecting slows and I'm just enjoying the weather. I also just throw them inside scrap cans because the rate for just the tab's is abysmal, lower than tin/shred/light iron price.
You'll be collecting for a while, but you do what works for you 💚
Some charities in Montana take the pop tops and turn them in for cash. They do not have the room to store the whole cans. This is why a lot of bars and other places save the pop tops for them.
Great advice thanks
I always rinse my can before throwing it in my aluminum can bin. I also pick cans up along the road where i drive my golf cart. Soda is so expensive nowadays, might as well get some money back.
If I've learned anything about this business, it's that it's a relationship business, the scrap copper and other valuables comes in from connections, from every person that's looking for the good things others throw away, or that has good things cluttering up their space that need to go. So when my yard gave me 50 cents a pound for a bunch of dodgy cans I pulled from the bushes I realized, ah, this is a loss-leader. A relationship builder. Advertising. We don't have a bottle bill here. At best the yard breaks even on it. A whole carload of them doesn't pay much, either, even at 50 cents. So if you have a generous yard, enjoy it, but your money and everyone's money is in you stepping up the game a bit. And yeah, leave cigarette butts in the trash.
That last sentence 😂 Yes please, no cigarette butts allowed. Thanks for watching.
I turn in around 12,000 cans every month to my local scrap yard, it's a very large scrap company but they don't seem to mind crushed cans, i usually take in about 30 large crushed bags which equals out to about 300 lbs and it pays around $140 at 47 cents a pound here in Ohio....
All depends on the yard unfortunately
All the yards I ever been to in the past crushed the cans by machine and blew them directly into a tractor trailer. None of them ever bailed them up. I guess its different everywhere. Here in CA we get around $1.70 a pound for them due to the deposit law so its really worth going around and picking them up.
Really interesting that they don't bail it. It would seem that would take up more from with them not being bailed. Will the yard accept your cans if you have already crushed them?
@@iScrapApp Yes every yard I been to will take cans crushed. It has never been an issue.
Hockey puck cans do not do well in the bailers as well, cause the edges do not bind well with other cans to make it compact
One of many reasons to not crush. Thanks for watching
Not to mention the BEES!
Make sure there dry or rinse then
Lets hope people watch this and clean their cans 😅
@@iScrapApp I definitely do with all cans I collect
Good video, I collect cans often and how I see is if it’s already crushed then that’s how it will stay but if it’s not then I’ll leave it how it is.
I'd hate to see someone try and "un-crush" a can 😅
@@iScrapApp 😂😂😂 very true, but could you imagine if someone did do that??
We recycle all our cans. As there are about 24 cans in a pound we get $2.40 per pound. I doubt any scrap yard pays that. Ours have a $.10 deposit on them, so more that 86% of the cans sold in our province are returned. There shouldn't be a can sold anywhere without a refundable deposit.
Good day AL M from Ontario. Yea that would help , but people still throw beer cans out which are .10. I was driving along seen a bunch , I think 14 cans. Thanks
Some people like throwing away money 😢
Apparently now a new concern with aluminum cans is the shrink wrap plastic labels being used on a lot of these new drinks. I just read a story on how it's contaminating the aluminum and now a need to sort them out.
The story went on to preach that the consumer should remove these labels before recycling. So now they want people that throw them in the trash to remove the labels first 🙄. What a joke.
Yes let's encourage clumsy people to cut off plastic labels with sharp objects so we can recycle the aluminum and fill the landfills with more plastic packaging.
This seems to me like the latest totally irresponsible idea by manufacturers to come up with. I don't like government intervention but these clowns are outright asking for trouble.
First off you can't get most people to recycle anyway and now you want them to work at it? IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
Interesting, I was worried about this when first bringing them in to the scrap yard but they never brought it up. I think I bring in more with the plastic on them because more often than not they're coffee based and those aren't returnable in my state, so that's what I end up with the most alongside tea cans.
They peel off
This is a really interesting point. Thanks for sharing
I hate single use plastic so much.
Sad and true.
One of our yards will take cans whole, the other yard will only take crushed. I just took in over 100 bags of crushed and got .70 a pound ended up making $385 in cans. Was happy with that.
Woah !!!.70 I’ve never been given that much for cans
Always no more than .40 here now .38
Where do ya find so much?
I basically have almost stopped bothering with them
@@steelisthemeal I'm receiving 0.58.
@@steelisthemeal Good day Marty Yea that is what they are paying up here, but prices seem to be dropping on everything . Thanks
Its wild how so many yards are different
$1.80 pound in California and up
I've been saving my catfood aluminum cans - all washed clean & crushed. Also saving aluminum pie pans. Recycling places take these?
check out the iScrap App or our site and it should use your location to find yards near you!
iscrapapp.com/metals/aluminum-cans/
Yea they should take them, some cheat yards won't pay u for the aluminum pie cans, but the cat food cans they will always usually pay 4 them.
Thom your videos are right on the money . I believe in the bottle bill , where bottles and cans pay a deposit to help recycle and avoid over filling the landfill . It may not be as helpful as we'd like to see it , but I believe in it. I live in OR , where many homeless people do dumpster diving for cans and bottles to help their economy move forward via recycling , instead of wasting materials into the landfill . It takes a lot of energy to produce an aluminum can , but it saves a lot more energy when that can gets recycled .
Keep up the good work. God bless y'all.
P.S I moved to OR from NY many moons ago .
Thanks for watching. The bottle/can return programs definitely help with this issue.
My scrap yard trust what I bring….I empty mine then let them sit till they dry out b4 putting them in a bag
You're one of the good ones. Thanks for watching!
The yards I sell my cans to will only buy them if they are crushed in a clear bag
Guess your yard likes you 💚
I understand completely. When I crush my cans I try to empty them best in can because I dislike the smell and sticky feel, also don't want them dripping through the bag when I go to transfer them.
I wonder if people take the tabs off because they turn the cans in for deposit at the store and then just feel that can add those to the aluminum pile? Would a can be worth more at the scrap yard?
Possibly because people were taught early on to take the tabs off for a variety of reasons (charities, drives etc) they think its better that way. Generally they will be worth more to the store for a deposit.
So what about cans that have a widget should I cut that out or does it not matter that much
most likely yes. Check with your yard though
The scrapyard i sell them too are always going skittzed at me and saying that i should crush them before selling them
Guess every yard is different
The can body is typically made from 3004 alloy because it’s easy to roll and draw into shape. The ends (tops) are stamped using 5182 alloy. Therefore, the tabs are likely 5182 as well. However, the point remains, they’re really not worth more to scrap yards, especially when the scrap yard is not going to invest in segregating them.
100% 💚
Thanks
💚
Here in California aluminum can recycling is subsidized. I usually get about twenty bucks for a garbage bag full of crushed cans.
Nice. Guess it depends on your yard
I'm the best!!!( shameless self promotion 😜). That's cool. I understand why you don't accept aluminum cans. But some states don't have redemption systems and I also personally drink Arizona tea 99 cent cans that cannot be redeemed in my state. No way I'm putting them in tin pile. But after I watched your video. I make sure they are clean and empty.
We hope that anyone that watches this cleans their cans too. Thanks for watching!
Collecting the the tabs separately 😂😂😂 you'd need thousands just to make a buck or 2 🤦🤦🤷🤷🤷 im from the UK 🇬🇧 never had this problem but the price dropped dramatically a few years ago compared to pressed and sheared aluminium products
The pull tab removal was an urban myth mostly in 🇺🇸
Nothing valuable about them
Just keep them attached 💚
@@iScrapApp i put a aluminium cans in recycling bin (trash can )😉 got enough metal products in my garden (back yard )😉👍 just attracting wasps and other animal activities oh n bloomin stinks unless cleaning them out which is a time consuming method as plenty of other metal to process for alot higher value 😉 keep up the good work on your channel 👍 stay safe and be happy 👍♻️♻️♻️😀😀😀
A few yards in my area don’t do cans or batteries
Unfortunate for the batteries 😢
I used to crush my cans with an 8 x 8 plate tamper this would crushed and very flat sideways I brought in a load just under 400 lb to my scrap yard and they took them with no problem the reason is because the yard I use I have a good rapport with them and I'm an honest person the yard manager has told me he has some people he will not let then bring cans in for scrap anymore🤠
Its amazing how many things in life work in your favor if you are nice and have a good rapport with people
@@iScrapApp all i know is if you treat me with respect i will go out of my way to help you if you are disrespectful to me, you will be lucky if you get the bare minimum i have zero tolerance for disrespect👍🤠
The main reason to leave cans empty,is because people will add some sand or pebbles to get more change for WEIGHT to DOLLARS,and that messes up the compactor (s) at these facilities.
Facts
Gotta say the process should be able to accommodate wet cans. People could easily be trained to not crush them down all the way since that's more effort on their end. I naturally just squeeze them in the middle which creates a 'dog bone' shape which I was told bails up very nicely
Dealing with all the different types of food or liquids that come in cans is the biggest headache when it comes to these issues.
We rinse our cans and then use a cement can on a pipe to crush them. We do not like it when we get the "dog bone" cans because then they don't stand up and cannot be crushed or rinsed in a uniform manner, but that is just how we do it and I can see everyone's point about the mess and the smell. I would like to see more aluminum containers used in industry because people will pick them up and recycle them. God Bless.
My yard does not want the can crushed because when they bail them they crush and stick together better they make 3x3x5 bails i think they are pretty big and they get 1000s of cans a day they also wash down equipment and they wash every bail down before going into the warehouse and they send out 18 wheeler loads every week but they also use the same bailer to bail all there aluminum it’s a pretty big bailer with a feed conveyer
Thanks
I guess they have the right equipment for the job! Thanks for watching
I flatten my cans and the yard I take them doesn't seem to mind. So, its just up to the yard on how they want the material
At the end of the day, the yard controls what they want. We are speaking generally
container deposit scheme here means 10c each for cans and bottles, make as much from them as steel while scrapping at times, the depots where we return them stink like you say. cheers
Food waste can really start stinking real fast. Glad you enjoyed the video 💚
Michigan road trips pay good. LoL
But the machines won't take crushed cans. 10 cases in the trunk pays for gas and ice on the beach.
What about plastic balls in some beer cans
Gotta get those out before recycling, assuming your yard accepts beer cans.
@@iScrapApp i definitely pull those out
My scrap yard has a can shredder, your cans go thru there first before they get weighed
Nice!
Im petty sure the states that will pay you by the can, are the one's that you can make more money saving the tab separately to add weight for the scrap value of aluminum alone. Missouri is not one of them
That must be a lot of spare tabs to make a difference 😅
@@iScrapApp truth lol,
My yard don't care how i bring them. Thanks Tom
Lucky duck. Thanks for watching
I'm going to have to disagree with you about the value of the TABS.
The TABS on the cans can be worth more IF sold to people who do "Craft" ideas with them. The TABS are usually sold online and bring a higher price than the metal itself.
So Yes, the Tabs are worth more "IF" sold to the right people.
.
We were talking strictly yards that would take them, but yes if there are crafty people who need them, or charitable drives then by all means go there first.
@@iScrapApp 👍
I wash my pop cans out and let them dry.
Thanks for the tip. aluminum cans 🤔🤔😡😡
Thanks for watching ✅
If I scrap my aluminum cans from home I remove there lads before I recycle them
If they won't take them crushed I'm done with cans. I get 8 55 gallon barrels full before I haul them in. No way it's worth fooling with if you don't have a couple hundred pounds to cover the cost of hauling and get a small profit. Probably cost 15 bucks just for transportation cost here. With all the recent inflation it better pay a lot better for the scrap too. Less than 65 cents I won't deliver.
If your yard takes them crushed, then more power to them!
Another reason why you should accept ingots
Similar issue for sure. You can't see what's inside
I was technical resource manager for an aluminum foundry for 20 years. We produced our own aluminum alloy, and built a 2000 pound per hour smelter onsite. I also purchased aluminum ingot (pigs) from mom & pop smelters, and all of those went back through our smelter first.
You may, or may not be surprised that we often found iron bars, rebar, horse shoes, and a variety of other iron and steel products remaining on the hearth afterwards. Naturally, we paid these accounts after the smelting operation, and had to ban more than a few. There is always someone who thinks they’re smarter than the system.
Haul them to California and get$1.8o + per pound. Just dont bring 500 pounds at a time! Other wise no one looks
California have their own regulations regarding scrap. Hard to say what each yard will do
My scrap yard told me that the tabs are a lower grade aluminum and will pay less for just those...
They're usually the same grade
They’re not “lower” alloy, just different. The can is typically made from 3004 alloy, and the top is stamped using 5182 alloy.
lucky i live in a country where there some semblance of balance between socialism and self determination. there's money invested in incentives that see littered cans picked up and people can make. dollar from it. money isn't everything, the planet is kind of awesome 😎
If only everyone wanted a clean planet 🌎💚
Not worth your time or gas anyway they don’t pay nothing
It will always be worth to someone
@@iScrapApp the time it takes to crush them and the space they take up, you’re better off spending that time and space picking up more shred with that time and space more often and selling it more regularly then even wasting time with them. I watched a documentary that claims it cost more than the can is worth new to recycle it in man hours. So we spend more on recycled can than a new one. It’s another thing not to crush them and you have tons of land and drink a ton of canned drinks, but for the every day scrap runner they’re not worth the space or time they take up. Especially when space is a issue
Don't care nothing about the environment you scared you might have to pay out a dollar more
If you didn't crush the cans you would need a tractor/trailer rig to be able to haul enough to make it financially feasible. Pick up a 30 gallon trash bag full of uncrushed cans and feel how lite it is, not to mention how large it is in size. You have to crush the cans if you want to make a little money.
Unfortunately in our experience, we've dealt with sanitary issues and other contaminants being left in the can, so its easier for us to say "keep them intact but cleaned out", so that everyone is happy!
screw that, they have machines that crush them. It's just more labor to crush them things, waste of time 2 crush a can!
Take them to CA. They are worth money
people really dont wash them before they crush them?
People can be gross