Knowing the recycling price for aluminum cans will definitely help encourage more people to recycle, and in return, earn extra cash from doing so. Basically, hitting two birds with one stone – preserving the environment through recycling, and making extra money.
The world has endless possibilities. Do you agree with that?
Well, you should! Imagine, even in the things we thought are already useless, we, apparently, can still make money out of them. Take recycling aluminum cans as an example. By keeping all our aluminum can waste, we do not just help spare additional trash to the environment, but we can also sell them and get paid in return.
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But before we continue talking about recycling aluminum cans and the recycling price for aluminum cans. We thought it’s just right that we understand first why of all the trashes in the world, we are focusing on aluminum.
Here are some very worth-noting facts.
According to an article published by the Frontier Group, the United States produces a huge amount of waste. In fact, the country produces “more than 30 percent of the planet’s total waste, though it is home to only 4 percent of the world’s population”. Furthermore, the report says that in 2014 alone, “the U.S. threw out over 258 million tons of “municipal solid waste,” or trash discarded by homes, businesses and institutions, such as universities and libraries”.
Wow! That is really a huge number, right!?
In addition to that, a Columbia University study has found that Americans throw out an estimated 7 pounds of materials or garbage per person each day, which, if summed up for a year, it is totaled at “2,555 pounds of materials per American every year”.
Now, out of all the garbage that the Americans throw out, 30% of them are materials used for packaging, which are of little use to consumers and is usually thrown out right after a product is purchased, 20% are nondurable goods, and the remaining 20.4% are durable goods like furniture and appliances.
Now, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2017 alone, “aluminum generation was 1.4 percent of total MSW generation at 3.8 million tons”. This number includes “1.9 million tons of aluminum containers and packaging, as well as 1.9 million tons found in durable and nondurable goods”.
So, what are we trying to say here?
Basically, what we want to point out is that there is so much aluminum all around us and that it has to be properly addressed. And the government and even private sectors are doing something about that. Thank goodness!
Thus, being encourages to sell and recycle aluminum.
Having said that, we go back to our main point – encouraging people to recycle by disseminating information about recycling price for aluminum cans (which is a very common material among our households).
As we’ve said earlier, apart from earning a few bucks, you also get to help save the environment from further harm.
But of course, for people to be more encouraged to do what is right and good for the environment, and for us as well, it is important to be well-aware and be informed about this industry. Thus, today, we are going to share information about the following:
- What is aluminum?
- How important is recycling aluminum cans?
- How do recycling aluminum cans help protect our natural resources?
- What is the current value of aluminum melt/scrap?
- Why is aluminum cheap?
- What is the average price for aluminum per pound?
- How many aluminum cans compose a pound? How about a kilogram?
- How much is the recycling price for aluminum cans?
- Where to sell aluminum cans?
- Where to find aluminum cans?
WHAT IS ALUMINUM?
First thing first, what is aluminum?
Aluminum has three main qualities, and these are:
It is light.
It is durable.
It is functional.
These qualities are precisely the reason why it is one of the materials most used in our time. We can find aluminum anywhere we go — at home, in our offices, in stores and restaurants, basically, anywhere. Even in the streets, we’ll find things made of aluminum. That is how useful it is.
According to Aluminum Leader, aluminum is a silvery-white metal and is the 13th element in the periodic table. Of all the metals in the world, aluminum is the most widespread, which makes up “more than 8% of the Earth’s core mass”. More so, it is also considered as the third most common chemical element in the world — just next to oxygen and silicon.
Aluminum was first produced formally back in 1824, and it took another fifty years before people learned how to produce it on an industrial scale.
Before moving on to our next point, we found this very insightful video by Melbourne Scrapper. We thought you might want to check this out to know more about how much money you can make from scrapping aluminum cans, which is what we are going to focus on today.
HOW IMPORTANT IS RECYCLING ALUMINUM CAN?
As we have mentioned, aluminum is widely used in the world today is a soft metal that is lightweight, ductile, and malleable. Needless to say, it’s very much available anywhere. In fact, aluminum, according to Interco Trading, it approximately comprises 8% of the earth’s crust.
Aluminum is a kind of metal that is non-ferrous, which basically means it does not have metallic properties. It is also corrosive resistant and can be cast easily, which is why people recycle aluminum.
But why is it important to recycle aluminum cans?
According to Interco, the high percentage of aluminum present in making cans is the very reason why we recycle them. They serve as a source of aluminum.
Let’s face it, today, we use aluminum in almost everything — most especially to package products such as:
- Oils
- Milk
- Beverages
- Chemicals
- Vegetables
… and more!
Basically, manufacturers use aluminum cans to package almost all kinds of perishable goods. But apart from this, there are far more reasons why we must recycle aluminum cans. This includes:
- Recycling aluminum cans saves energy.
- Recycling aluminum cans is more cost-effect
- Recycling aluminum cans is a good source of aluminum.
- Recycling aluminum cans help reduce pollution.
You see, recycling aluminum helps save resources, as well as energy. Just so you know, still according to Interco’s report, recycling aluminum cans make use of 5% only of the energy and emissions required to mine aluminum from bauxite. This means that the process helps reduce the greenhouse effect, at the same time, it helps protect the ozone layer from emissions.
We understand there are so many technicalities here, but to put it simply, recycling aluminum cans is very helpful in the preservation and conservation of the environment.
Now, are you already more interested in knowing the recycling price for aluminum cans? Just hang in there, here’s a few more important information to help you appreciate recycling aluminum cans more.
HOW DO RECYCLING ALUMINUM CANS HELP PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES?
Bauxite, which is a “sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminum content”. It is where people get aluminum to be able to produce these packaging and other materials or things that use aluminum. However, by recycling aluminum cans, we are able to preserve bauxite. We are able to conserve and help protect this natural resource.
Here’s an interesting fact, about 75% of the first aluminum made is apparently still in circulation today!
Anyway, as you can see, recycling aluminum cans is very ideal and very economic. It helps save a huge amount of energy, which is definitely great for our environment and for people as well. Hey, we only have one planet, remember?
By recycling aluminum cans, we are able to save approximately 95% of energy! That is huge! That is amazing.
To put it simply, apart from saving bauxite, recycling aluminum cans also help save electricity, as well as chemical products.
Recycling aluminum has no-doubt a lot of benefits that we, people, are taking advantage of in return (apart from the environment).
WHAT IS THE CURRENT VALUE OF ALUMINUM MELT/SCRAP?
Now that we already know what aluminum is all about and the importance of recycling this element. For us to be able to understand and appreciate the recycling price for aluminum cans, we thought it’s nice to know what the current recycling value of aluminum cans or aluminum melt/scrap is.
This will also give us an idea of how much to expect when we are selling recyclable aluminum cans.
The value of aluminum melt/scrap actually varies on a day to day basis.
For instance, back in June 2019, the value of aluminum was about 81 cents per pound. Now, as of this writing, technically, a few months after, the value of aluminum is currently at 78 cents.
Aluminum buyers and serious sellers usually use certain data or charts to help them get an estimate when it comes to the recycling price of aluminum cans.
However, we found out that recycling centers usually pay around 25% up to 35% on the low end, and 50% at its best.
So, what does that mean?
Basically, if the price of aluminum, for instance, is at 78 cents, then you can estimate that your aluminum cans are worth around 25% to 50% of that price.
To be more specific, here’s a sample computation:
For a 25% spot price, you will have to multiply 78 by .25 (78 x .25). The equivalent is 19.5, which means the price of a pound of an aluminum can is valued at about 20 cents.
The same formula is used when you compute if the percentage is at 35 or 50 percent.
WHY IS ALUMINUM CHEAP?
By now you are probably wondering why aluminum seems to be cheap. Well, apart from the fact that it is lightweight as compared to other metals like copper, lead, tin, nickel, and zinc, aluminum is very prevalent.
You can find it anywhere. You can find it quickly and easily as compared to other forms or types of metals.
If you come to think about it though, that’s the usual trading rule, right? The more common or the ones that are easily available usually cost cheaper as compared to materials that are hard to find. It’s like the less effort, the cheaper the price tag is.
Anyway, so if you want to make more money in selling aluminum cans, you will need to have a large amount of it.
By the way, when trading aluminum cans, it’s okay to crush them. It won’t devalue the can anyway.
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE PRICE FOR ALUMINUM PER POUND?
As mentioned earlier, the price of aluminum fluctuates every now and then. Thus, it is helpful to know what the historical average of recycling aluminum cans price per pound to make life easier. We mean, to make things easier for you as a seller.
Just so you know, in the last 30 years, the average price of aluminum has been at about 81 cents. This is based on the data from the United States Geological Survey.
HOW MANY ALUMINUM CANS COMPOSE A POUND? HOW ABOUT A KILOGRAM?
Now, it is also important that you know how many aluminum cans are there in a pound, as well as how many cans in a kilogram before we even talk about the recycling price of aluminum cans.
This is so you know how much to expect when selling your cans.
Anyway, so the average aluminum can usually weight about 14 to 15 grams. In a pound, there are roughly 454 grams. With that, it means you need around 31 to 33 cans to be able to make a full pound.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the number of cans to make up a kilogram, you have to know that there are 1,000 grams that make a kilogram. This only means that if a can is about 14 to 15 grams, you will need around 67 to 72 aluminum cans to make a kilogram.
HOW MUCH IS THE RECYCLING PRICE OF ALUMINUM CANS?
So, not let’s talk about the recycling price of aluminum cans.
There is actually a mathematical way to be able to determine a rough estimate of how much you may get from selling your cans.
An average can that weighs 14 to 15 grams or .03 grams is valued at about 2.4 cents or at 81 cents per pound (again, value changes so often).
For your reference, here’s the formula:
Number of cans multiplied by .03 times the current value (as of this writing it is valued at 78 cents)
You see, it’s not something that will make you a lot of money. But the thing is, no matter how big or small you get, what is important is you get to help protect and conserve our natural resources, or the environment in general.
Yes, the value is quite disappointing, but we highly recommend looking at the brighter side. After all, as we have said earlier, we only have one planet, and we need to do our part to protect and conserve it.
WHERE TO SELL ALUMINUM CANS?
So, now that you already know the recycling price for aluminum cans or at least how it’s achieved, we thought the next important thing to know is where to sell them, right?
There are three common places to return or sell aluminum cans. These are:
- Scrap Yards & Recycling Centers
- Bottle Deposits
- eBay / Etsy
Note that although we shared a formula to know the estimated cost of your cans, the prices still vary depending on your location. For example, a recycling center in Fairfield, Ohio pays 33 cents for every pound provided you are selling at least 50 pounds worth of aluminum cans. Meanwhile, a scrap metal buyer in Salt Lake City pays 38 cents per pound. You see, it really differs from one place to another. Thus, the best thing to do is to check around from where you are.
WHERE TO FIND ALUMINUM CANS?
So, you want to earn a lot from selling aluminum cans. Where then to find more of it?
If you are really serious about making more money from selling recyclable aluminum cans, here are some places where you can find plenty of them (apart from your own homes, of course):
Festivals and Concerts – For obvious reasons, during concerts and festivals there are a lot of people, and with it comes a lot of concessionaires selling food or using products that are packed in cans. Of course, you don’t have to collect while the activities are ongoing. Do it once it’s all done.
Food Establishments – Most likely restaurants have aluminum cans in their trash. Consider talking to food establishment owners or managers and ask them to keep the cans so you can collect them after store hours or depend on what you have agreed on.
Neighborhood (Family and Friends included) – If your neighbors or family and friends are not collecting them, consider asking them as well to keep their used cans so you can collect them eventually. They will surely be glad to help you out.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON RECYCLING PRICE FOR ALUMINUM CANS
Recycling aluminum cans is one of the best things to do in order to help conserve our natural resources. It’s nice knowing that people in our country are encouraged to recycle them. This does not only helps the environment but also helps add a few bucks to their savings.
So, have you recycled aluminum cans yet? How much did you make from recycling them?
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