How to Correctly Identify Cans, Bottles, and Other Items for Recycling

If you’re passionate about doing your bit for the environment, recycling is always a great place to start. But when it comes to throwing away aluminum cans, steel, or aluminum foil, you can make some costly mistakes that may actually do more harm than good.

But don’t worry. you are not alone! This is an easy mistake to make, and many people still don’t know the proper way to recycle these materials. In fact, metal products are among the most recyclable materials, with more than 90% of steel products being recycled, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. From aluminum foil, pots and pans to pans, wire hangers, and even small appliances, all of these items can be taken to curbside for recycling.

It is important to remember that metals are non-renewable natural resources, which means they cannot be replaced quickly after use. With supplies limited, it’s even more important to ensure your cans are sent for processing, giving them a second life and reducing pressure on the earth’s resources.

Here are some simple tips to follow when recycling to ensure you’re always on the right page.

What types of metal cans can be recycled?

All metal cans are recyclable if cleaned. Examples include:

• Beverage cans, such as soda and beer, including labels
• paint can
• canned food
• aerosol can

Clean metal cans

Don’t do this: Dispose of jars in the recycling bin before cleaning. If food or liquids are left in the jars, they could contaminate the entire batch of recyclables, rendering them useless. Unrinsed cans can also attract cockroaches, rodents, and other nasty critters that you don’t want crawling around your bin.

Do this instead: Make sure all jars are free of liquid or food that may have been left in the container. You can do this by rinsing the jar after using it.

What can the lid do

Canned food: No Remove the lid only halfway and place it in the recycling bin. Instead, remove the jar lid completely and place it inside the jar (after rinsing). Only place lids inside empty cans made of the same metal material.

Aerosol can: The caps on aerosol cans are usually plastic, so you should remove them before placing the can in the trash. Plastic lids should be used with other plastic recyclable materials, as the heat applied during the metal recycling process will completely destroy any plastic recyclable materials mixed into the batch.

Do I need to remove paper labels before recycling cans?

Generally speaking, you don’t need to remove paper labels from metal or aluminum cans before placing them in the recycling bin. When the jars are recycled, the heat applied to the metal will completely burn off the paper and glue, meaning there’s no need to worry that your contribution might contaminate the batch.

However, in other cases, you may want to remove paper labels before recycling items. If you don’t like the labels turning to ash during the recycling process, you can remove the labels from the metal cans and throw them away with your paper recycling. More importantly, you Do If you recycle plastic, you must remove the paper labels because metal and plastic recycling processes are different.

If in doubt, it is best to contact your local recycling agency. A Reddit user Become familiar with recycling facilities pointed out that while it is important to understand the mechanics of recycling, each recycling plant has its own unique machinery with different functions – they are not standardized, so it is not easy to give a one-size-fits-all answer.

A quick call to your local facility will ensure you know what can and cannot be recycled, and what might contaminate a batch of recyclable materials.

What else should I do?

• Avoid puncturing the aerosol can to remove remaining liquid.
• Make sure all paint is dry or completely rinsed before recycling. If you have leftover paint or other hazardous waste, send it to Drop-off center near you.
• Do not crush aluminum cans before recycling as they can contaminate the batch.

For more recycling information, click here How to properly recycle plastic and The right way to recycle paper and cardboard.

Metal Recycling FAQs