Whether you should crush drink cans for recycling depends on the system: for household bins, crushing saves space but might hinder sorting; for container deposit schemes (like 10c refunds in Australia), don't crush them if using reverse vending machines as barcodes must be readable, but hand-crushing might be okay for depots if done carefully, though it's often discouraged to avoid sharp edges and sorting issues.
Crushed cans are much harder for the recycling equipment to process. It confuses the automated sorting machines. So while that crunch is really satisfying and it cuts down the volume it takes up while you store it, crushing is strongly not recommended.
No, please do not crush your drink containers. Drink containers must be identifiable as an eligible drink container to receive a refund.
YOU Make a Difference by Recycling Your Cans
For both aluminum beverage and steel food cans, remember to put them in the recycling clean and dry. With aluminum beverage cans, do not crush them. A super thin, crushed can is likely to be missorted into the wrong bale and then may not be recycled.
Yes, you can often get 10 cents for crushed cans in container deposit schemes, but it depends on the refund point: reverse vending machines (RVMs) usually need intact cans to read the barcode, while hand-counting depots or drive-thrus often accept crushed cans as long as the label and barcode are visible and they can sort them. Crushing saves space for transport, but check with your local scheme or depot first.
The machines “see” the shape of items when determining where to put paper, glass, ferrous metal, aluminum, plastic, etc., but crushed cans don't look like cans so they can go in the wrong place, fouling the system.
To make $100 from aluminum cans, you'd need roughly 1,000 cans at 10 cents each (in deposit states like South Australia) or around 1,000 to 1,300 cans at around 50-80 cents per pound in scrap value (about 30-35 cans per pound), depending heavily on your location's refund value or scrap metal prices, with high-value locations needing fewer cans and low-value scrap yards needing many more.
While metal doesn't need to be spotless, removing excessive dirt, oil, or chemical residues can make the recycling process more efficient. For example, rinsing off food residue from aluminum cans and wiping down greasy metal parts can prevent contamination and improve recyclability.
Crushed or uncrushed
Uncrushed containers are preferred, although crushed containers will be accepted. As long as the 10c mark is visible and barcode can be read on the label, the drink container will be accepted.
Coca‑Cola 20oz bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding cap and label) nationwide.
Like you said, 10c each - only takes 1000 to make $100.
Surprising items you shouldn't put in your curbside recycling include plastic bags, shredded paper, Styrofoam, greasy pizza boxes, coffee cups with plastic lining, batteries, clothes hangers, and ceramics/Pyrex, as they contaminate batches or jam machinery. Soft plastics, soiled paper, and small items like bottle caps are also common culprits that belong in the trash or special drop-offs, not the regular bin.
The weight of a can fluctuates with various brand designs, but they tend to be around a half-ounce per can. At an average of 56 cents per pound, that makes a single can worth about 1.8 cents. At that rate, you could make about $20 for about 1,000 cans (or 84 12-packs of 12-ounce cans).
Empty and rinse out aluminum cans before recycling them. Moisture and dirt contaminate recycling and can limit cans' recyclability.
Use a knife to mark a groove around the can. Hold the knife on a piece of wood at a level plane and then rotate the can around. It is not necessary to cut through the aluminum. Apply some pressure with your fingernail near the groove to separate the top and the bottom part (see video).
A flattened aluminum can, for example, would be harder for a machine to recognize because of its smaller total surface area. The crushed can could then end up mixed in with other recycling materials, contaminating them in the process.
Some Interesting Facts On The Used Aluminium Can:
There are about 75 used cans in 1 kilogram of cans. The average can weighs 14g.
The salt is added during the melting process, and it floats over the molten aluminum due to a lower density, protecting it from further oxidation.
Scrap Yards: Where Metal Turns to Money
Prices can vary widely, so it's worth shopping around. Some scrap yards may offer better rates for regular customers or larger quantities. Remember that scrap yards often pay by the pound. On average, you can expect to receive between 40 to 50 cents per pound of aluminum cans.
Since the Returnable Container Act was passed four decades ago, the benefits of canning have been dwindling. Five cents today is worth only a third as much as it was in 1982. To earn just $5, barely enough to afford a meal, you have to collect 100 containers.
Whether you should crush cans for recycling depends on how you're recycling: for curbside bins, it's often better not to crush them (especially if flattened) as machines struggle to sort small items, but for deposit-return schemes (like 10c refunds), crushing is usually fine, sometimes even encouraged for space, but keep the barcode readable. Crushed cans can get lost in mixed recycling streams but are fine for specialized sorting.
It can cause sensors at the recycling plant to read the bottle as paper, wrongly separating them and contaminating the batch of paper, making it harder to recycle 😢 Head to recyclingpartnership.org for more info on how to #recycle the right way!
Psychologists have found that those who crush their cans often prefer to take immediate action rather than procrastinating. They don't like leaving tasks unfinished or items out of place – even if it's something as small as an empty can.