# Recycling aluminum cans and aluminum tape **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325 "2018-04-13T00:05:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/1 "2018-04-13T00:05:24Z")
I’m building a sculpture out of aluminum cans that is stuck together with aluminum tape, the stuff you use for HVAC systems. is there any problem recycling the whole thing without taking the tape off first? ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/2 "2018-04-13T01:42:56Z")
You will get a lesser value per pound for contaminated aluminum. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/3 "2018-04-13T02:13:21Z")
In the end, the cans are melted down to become molten aluminum. All contaminants (like tape, or painted labels, or un-drunk soda, etc.) are all burned up in that process. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/4 "2018-04-13T13:10:48Z")
I’m pretty sure he’s talking about tape with aluminum in it, not subject to being burned off. I do know aluminum can recyclers are not happy to have aluminum foil mixed in so I’m with **mixdenny** , you’ll get not as much per pound. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/5 "2018-04-13T13:17:47Z")
Yeah, that’s just “dirty” aluminum, as they call it around here. Much less per pound than clean and identifiable products. ---
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/6 "2018-04-13T13:25:25Z")
Isn’t the can “dirty” to begin with because of the labelling on it? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/7 "2018-04-13T13:26:54Z")
I searched “aluminum tape”. It consists solely of aluminum, but the acrylic adhesive would definitely be a “contaminate”. They’re pretty picky. Reading further, I found that you can recycle aluminum foil, but it can’t have food residue on it. You’d think it would be vaporized at the temperatures needed to melt the metal, but apparently that is not considered sufficient. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/8 "2018-04-13T14:35:44Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I searched “aluminum tape”. It consists solely of aluminum, but the acrylic adhesive would definitely be a “contaminate”. They’re pretty picky. Reading further, I found that you can recycle aluminum foil, but it can’t have food residue on it. You’d think it would be vaporized at the temperatures needed to melt the metal, but apparently that is not considered sufficient. I think that they are more concerned with the food residue attracting germs, other microbes, and animals which would make the place storing the aluminum more dangerous than it would be otherwise ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/9 "2018-04-13T15:01:34Z")
You’ll have to take off [the googly eyes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDfMjJcqZEw) before recycling. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/10 "2018-04-13T16:01:35Z")
A long time ago, I dissolved an aluminum can in a strong alkali (I was bored). So anyways, there is a plastic film over every aluminum can with all the labels, logo and markings. It’s very think but it’s there. So your aluminum can already has plastic on it - don’t see what the problem could be with tape then. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/11 "2018-04-13T16:23:59Z")
Or, you know, you could call your local recycler and ask them… As someone who does some scrapping I’d probably opt to pull the tape off, turn in the cans, then ask if they tape _can_ be recycled. The tape would be at a lower price per pound than beverage cans, and I wouldn’t want to reduce the income from the cans by mixing the two. But that’s me. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum-cans-and-aluminum-tape/812325/12 "2018-04-13T22:25:30Z")
Thanks for the responses. I was imagining that the amount of residue is nominal, and could be a known factor. There are undoubtedly all types of contaminants mixed up in aluminum cans, but you will only get called out if it is obvious. I can see that the the recyclers want clean aluminum if possible, and it’s easy to formulate policy that way. The important point is that here in California, we have a 5¢ per can deposit, and if you have up to 50 cans, you can be paid per can, but higher than that, you get paid by the pound. Even if the price per pound is lower for “contaminated” aluminum, you should still be compensated for the deposit.