Prepare for Discarding - Place in Single Stream Recycling Container
Empty and Rinse
Labels can remain on cans.
All metal cans must be empty
Cut out ends and flatten (do not puncture aerosols)
Do Not Recycle in Single Stream Containers
Empty Aerosol Cans
Aluminum Pans or Foil
Empty Paint Cans
Large/Bulky Scrap Metal Items
Aluminum & Steel Can Recycling Facts
The average aluminum can in the U.S. contains 40% post-consumer recycled aluminum.
It requires only 5% as much energy when a can is made of recycled aluminum as compared to virgin ore.
The lifespan of an aluminum can is 6 weeks on average: that means that the time it takes for a beverage can to be manufactured, filled, sold, recycled and remanufactured is 6 weeks on average.
In 1994, approximately 53.1% of all steel cans and 27.8% of steel packaging materials, such as strapping, were recycled.
The average American uses 142 steel cans per year.
Tin cans are actually 99% steel with a thin layer of tin added to prevent rusting.
One hundred million aluminum beverage cans are landfilled, littered or incinerated every day in the U.S. which is more than 500,000 tons of aluminum cans annually worth more than $600 million.
