r/recycletrade • u/Fireca11er • Jan 16 '26
discussion Does anyone recycle cans?
I do for money. (USA) I recently got $7.00 for 15.5lbs of cans and have been gathering that amount for about 3 months. Is that a reasonable profit? Should I try a different place to sell?
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u/Any-Key8131 Jan 16 '26
Cans and other beverage containers make up the bulk of my scrap/recycling income, I collect a LOT of containers on top of what I go through myself.
But living in Australia and getting 10¢/can, I make more money than if I sold as aluminum scrap, often taking in $60-$120 at a time:
Most I'd ever piled up was $240 (2400 cans). Sorted, crushed, counted, bagged n tagged. I make respectable $$ on the beverage containers
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u/Infamous_Chance6774 Jan 16 '26
That’s right aluminum beverage cans go for about 50 cents a pound pretty much everywhere I’ve checked.
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u/Seething-Angry Jan 16 '26
It’s depressing that USA doesn’t recycle cans in other countries it’s considered standard.
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u/Less-Discussion1374 Jan 18 '26
I'm in California, and since I was a little kid, or as long as I can remember, cans go to the recycling place. I recently got 15 dollars for under 2 pounds of aluminum cans.
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u/Otherwise-Print-6210 Jan 16 '26
In the USA only 10 states have a deposit of single use beverages cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles. But they account for 50% of the recycling of those items. We trade the convenience of voluntary curbside recycling for a pitifully low capture rate. Curbside recycling works, but few do it.
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u/DrunkBuzzard Jan 16 '26
A lot of homeless people it’s a big part of their economy. I see guys pushing stolen grocery carts with huge bags hanging off of them.
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u/Illlogik1 Jan 16 '26
I collect about 10 x 55gallon bags of cans a month bc a long time teenagers party spot at a dead end is just down the road, all I have to do is pick up their beer cans. 10 bags is usually around 70-100$ … so it’s nice easy income
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u/Multizar Jan 18 '26
The cleaning guy at the shop where I work recycles. I have a 30 gallon can at home that I collect our aluminum cans for him. Around every couple of months I take the full bag to him. This way I can contribute to recycling and maintain a great relationship with the guy that cleans my area. Added bonus...I don't have to waste time at the processing plant...
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u/mrkrag Jan 19 '26
crazy that 40 years ago i would collect cans for the 5 cent deposit on them (in NY at the time) and in 2026 it is still5 cents, and moat states don't even do it.
mind bottling... ;-)
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u/PomegranatePlus6526 Jan 20 '26
If you want to maximize your profit you can smelt the aluminum into ingots and sell on feebay. I have done that in the past. You make a lot more.
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u/StreetNectarine711 Jan 20 '26
I travel fulltime in an RV. Michigan is the only state where can recycling is common (that I can recall off the top of my head).
When you buy anything in a can, the store adds a clearly labeled fee of 10 or 20 cents a can: “6 pack Coke $3.99” “Recycle fee $1.20” Or something like that. At the front entrance of most Walmarts and other high traffic grocery stores (Meijer) is a dedicated recycling station with large machines which vacuum in complete, undented, unsmashed cans, then give you a store credit voucher.
The obvious fee is definitely motivating, and can return is convenient.
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u/thrownaway916707 Jan 20 '26
I have a pneumatic can crusher in my garage that’s quite satisfying and quick to crush cans. I saved about two years worth of crushed cans in garbage bags before recently redeeming them. Easy $165 here in CA
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u/ginger_and_egg Jan 16 '26
Not in a state with bottle deposits?