Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Collecting Aluminum Cans

brooklynct2003

brooklynct2003

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
453
Most of us probably don't collect Aluminum cans, except maybe to dump them in the nearest trash can after we find them, but should we?

It's environmentally conscious and you can make some money while you're at it

Some simple math:
The price of scrap Aluminum is about $0.90 - $1.20 a pound, depending on which recycler you use.
It takes about 30 empty cans to make a pound of aluminum
That makes an empty can worth about 3-4 cents each, if there is no deposit. 5-10 cents if there is.
So save your cans, pull tabs, & foil. It all adds up!
 
Gil,

I guess you are right. You can make some extra money by collecting aluminum cans, tabs, etc. and at the same time you are recycling aluminum to be used again. The one real nice thing is that you are cleaning up the environment too.

Everyone wins!!! :D
 
A friend of mine works at the power company as a line man. A few years ago he gave me a pick-up truck load of copper wire. I made a fire to burn off the insulation then polished it up. When I took it to the recycler it came to around $400. Not bad for a days work.
 
When I owned 2 acres I saved cans (had enough property to keep them out of site)and made some money, but now I just put them at the road for recycling. I have dug my share of brass shell casings also.
 
Outside of a few juice cans, here in Michigan there is a bottle/can deposit, so they all get turned back in for cash. :yes:
 
Jason, you must live in the boondocks. Around here if you started burning insulation off wire, the "authorities" would be there real quick. :lol: :lol:
 
I give any pull tabs to neighbors who donate them to the Ronald McDonald House. Cans I'll toss if they are full of sand or dirt, otherwise I'll leve them in the open for the people who canvass my area for aluminum cans. I do save cans I drink though, get about $20/year back. Guess I should lay off the tap water and drink more soda :lol:
 
A freind of mine always has several cases of cans (these have Bud labels on them) stacked in his garage. Some time back he said he was amazed at how much money he was getting for selling the empties. In fact, he said "you know, if drank a couple more cases each week, I could make a pretty good livin' off these".

Al aka Bloodyknees............ :D
 
I used to collect my cans in a corrugated Kenmore stove box about 48" tall by 36" x 36". I kept it in my basement.

Took me 2 years to fill it, and then it started overflowing. My girlfriend said to me shortly afterward, "honey, I think it's time we get a new stove, looks like you need another box"
 
I do recycle. But not just cans.......everything that's recyclable. Not as much for the money, as for the environment. With all the trouble I go through to recycle, what I get for the cans really isn't worth it, bit I still feel good about helping the earth.
 
I save all my cans, some glass and some plastic. They pay $1.50 a Lb around here but other places pay more. I got 22 bucks yesterday, with glass and plastic included I had a total of 21 lbs. Glass is not worth fooling with but plastic pays fairly well.

Pull tabs are considered dirty aluminum, part of the pull tab is not aluminum and around here they won't give you what they do for cans. If you want to do a good deed give them to Ronald McDonald House like someone already mentioned.
 
DougF said:
Jason, you must live in the boondocks. Around here if you started burning insulation off wire, the "authorities" would be there real quick. :lol: :lol:
Click to expand...

Well, you know... This IS Mississippi! :lol: It did make a stink and sent up alot of black smoke though.
 
My local township (crooked as (h*ll)) wanted us to separate our trash into 4 seperate containers a few years ago. I told my wife that they didn't pay me enough to do this (after numerous tax hikes) and all of the trash went into my shop container which is taken care of by a private contractor. This year they got sensible and actually provided containers for recyclables that do not have to be cataloged and categorized. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, the county sold us a bill of goods on building a trash to steam plant. After it was built, it was over managed and did not generate a profit as we were initially told it would. Now the county assesses every business and residence with a trash tax.
 
My aunt saves cans for me. She can't drive and I take the cans and give her the money. I always add a few dollars of my own :D. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. She is making money and helping the environment.
 
The people I work with think Im crazy for keeping all the cans around the office. Do it for the Money, do it for the environment, do it for the Children!!!!!!

The road by my house is packed with them. I get the kids out from the video games once a month to pick them up.
 
LOL thanks and my pocket book....in addition to cans this year I have found over 3 dollars in paper money and change!!! At this rate I'll be a millionaire in about 27 years...

I have some compitition from the local prison. The convicts get 40 percent of the money from cans when they do clean ups!!! Picture a tractor trailor load of cans!!!! Thats what they take in evry 6 months.
 
I too save pull tabs off of soda cans for Ronald McDonald house. The cans themselves are actually an alloy of assorted "crap" metals to keep the cost down.
 
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