# Recycling Aluminum **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290 "2003-03-10T13:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/1 "2003-03-10T13:24:27Z")
Just wondering how to find a recycling center that would pay me for my aluminum cans, and are all cans created equal? For example, would they take a mix soda (pop) cans, tuna cans, and aluminum foil, for example…or would I have to sort it out, in the very least??? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/2 "2003-03-10T13:40:46Z")
This isn’t a facetious answer, **Jinx** – but have you checked your local phone directory Yellow Pages? Recycling depots are usually listed there. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/3 "2003-03-10T13:51:52Z")
Ice Wolf, thanks for the thought. I had, but these are run by the local municipalities. They don’t want to pay you…they just want to present to the public a token effort in protecting the environment. Hmm…Maybe it’d be best to get the inside scoop on recycling (for cash back) by contacting Reynolds Aluminum or Alcoa? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/4 "2003-03-10T13:56:19Z")
That might be the best course of action, **Jinx**. The aluminium manufacturers are the ones after the raw material. In my country, they run waste depots for aluminium, and pay a varying rate based on the world market. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/5 "2003-03-10T14:11:04Z")
I thought that CRV(5 cents a can) was what you got back after recycled at an _official_ recycling center. I also thought thats how those little “recycling centers” that buy your cans by the pound(for like nothing) made money. Someone correct me if i’m wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drifter)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/6 "2003-03-10T14:51:16Z")
Just an interesting fact for you And this is if I recall correctly. Every day we throw away enough still to rebuild the Sydney harbour bridge and that is only from the little staple that holds the tab to your tea bag ---
**Author:** ![Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drifter)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/7 "2003-03-10T14:54:41Z")
Sh!t I can’t even spell “STEEL” right :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/8 "2003-03-10T15:07:14Z")
That’s incredible, **Drifter**. Do you have a cite for that? BTW, welcome to the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drifter)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/9 "2003-03-10T15:15:11Z")
Thanks Ice Wolf. And no I don’t have I site but I got this info off Dr Karl But I do Have his web site --\>[http://abc.net.au/science/k2/](http://abc.net.au/science/k2/) ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/10 "2003-03-10T15:17:27Z")
Look in yellow pages under scrap yards. Most will buy aluminum. Aluminum foil usually not accepted. Most other cans are not aluminum. I’d stick to UBC (used beverage cans) only. At the scrap yard they’ll weigh them, and deduct if they have a lot of moisture. Usually a big garbage bag of non-flattened cans is worh a buck or two. You can call the yards and ask them what they pay for cans. Understand that for most of them, you’re kind of a community service they’re providing (their profit on your 2-3 bags of cans is maybe a buck or two). I visit many scrapyards as part of my job, so I’m there anyway, but I still leave my cans at curbside… Not worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/11 "2003-03-10T16:47:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Drifter \* > \*\*Just an interesting fact for you > > And this is if I recall correctly. Every day we throw away enough still to rebuild the Sydney harbour bridge and that is only from the little staple that holds the tab to your tea bag \*\* That doesn’t pass the “back of the envelope” test. If you very generously assume that the staple weighs one gram, you’d need 1 million tea drinkers to equal one metric ton. The Sydney Harbor bridge uses 52,800 tons (mebbe metric, mebbe not) ([http://bridgepros.com/projects/SydneyHarbour/SydneyHarbour.htm](http://bridgepros.com/projects/SydneyHarbour/SydneyHarbour.htm)) of steel. Even if all 6 billion people on the face of the planet drank a cup of tea (and let’s face it, many of them would scoff at tea bags), that’s only 6,000 metric tons of steel. ---
**Author:** ![Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drifter)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-aluminum/160290/12 "2003-03-10T17:13:57Z")
Sorry if what I said is misleading but I was sure that’s what I heard. That’s why I said \“And this is if I recall correctly”\ But thanks for setting me straight. I’ll look into it tomorrow