It depends where you live, which recycler, scrap yard, you are dealing with and their profit requirement, and market values. So at roughly 1/2 oz per can, that is at least 32 per pound. At maybe 35 cents per lb you would need about 30 lbs = about 900 cans to make 10.00.
It's 5 cents per can, that's 20 cans to a dollar, 200 cans for 10 bucks.
With a market rate of $0.55 per pound, you'd need around 182 pounds of aluminum cans to earn $100. This equates to about 6,000 cans.
Aluminum beverage cans are roughly 32 cans per pound. So at 50 cents a pound, you would need around 1,250 to 1,300 cans to make 20 bucks.
It takes about 30 recycled cans to make one dollar. However, this number can vary depending on the type and quality of the recycling center. So if you're looking to recycle your cans for some quick cash, it's best to check with your local center for an estimate.
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. That's 100 instances of finding and collecting, not to mention carrying everything you've gathered to a redemption center.
When collecting aluminum cans for profit, crushing them saves a lot of space for storing even more cans. A common way to store these cans is in a commercial trash can, or a plastic bag. Then you just have to bring them to your local recycling or scrap metal center to get paid.
Older aluminum cans are generally heavier than newer ones, so older cans are more valuable. Scrap yards may not pay as much per can as bottle bill collection centers, so don't expect 5 cents a can. However, it can still be worth the time to collect and recycle cans, especially if you have access to a lot of them.
How Much is a Garbage Bag Full of Cans Worth? A large, industrial-sized garbage bag can fit between 300 to 400 aluminum cans. If redeemed for 5 cents per can, you'd earn around $15 to $20 per bag.
Recycling aluminum cans can earn you between . 25 to . 50 cents a pound which means if you have a 100 pounds you could earn around $50. I would collect cans from the trash and even walk side ditches to pick them up because most people wouldn't take the time so recycle them.
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).
Sort and Clean Your Cans
Before you can start cashing in on your recycled cans, sorting and cleaning them is important. Sorting the different types of metals helps ensure that you get the most money for your scrap metal when you take it to a recycling facility.
Shyla's research shows that 8 empty cans make 1/4 pound of aluminum. We need to find how many can make 5 pounds of aluminum. Let x be the number of cans to make 5 pounds of aluminum. Hence, 160 cans make a 5 pounds of aluminum.
If you make $1 per lb, you need 2200 cans to make $100. From a scrapyard, you likely need double that, with 4400 cans.
For the first ratio, the price per can is $6 ÷ 5 cans = $1.2 per can. In the second scenario, the price per can is $10 ÷ 8 cans = $1.25 per can. Therefore, the option of 5 cans for $6 has a lower cost per can compared to the option of 8 cans for $10.
In selective US states, deposit incentive per piece varies from $0.05 to $0.10. If $0.075 is taken as the average number, the approximately 13.3K bottles or cans need to be deposited in order to make $1,000 out of them.
So using standard 12 oz. pop/beer cans that are rinsed and dry I find that the consensus is that it takes from 32-35 cans to make a pound. There seems to be no exact number because there are variances by brand.
Recyclables are often sorted by shape, meaning that aluminum cans, milk jugs and juice cartons are more likely to be properly recycled if they retain their original dimensions. A flattened aluminum can, for example, would be harder for a machine to recognize because of its smaller total surface area.
Aluminum cans: flattened 1yd3 weighs 340 lbs., uncompacted 1 full grocery bag weighs 1.5 lbs., uncompacted 1 case of 24 cans weighs 0.75 lbs., 32 cans weigh 1 lb. weigh 14 lbs., manually broken bottles in a 55-gallon drum weigh 300 lbs.
Items rich in metals like copper, aluminum, brass, and steel are often more lucrative to scrap.
Scrap Metal
One of the most profitable materials to recycle is scrap metal. That's why, scrap metal theft is quite common and there even have been reports of community recycling dumpsters raids in search of metal. Some of the most common scrap metals you can recycle for cash are copper, aluminum, and steel.
Should I crush my drink cans before recycling? You do not have to crush your empty drink cans. Some people crush their recycled cans to create more room in their recycling bin, but this is optional. Your can is equally recyclable either way!
The symbol on beverage containers eligible for reimbursement is "CA CRV". Currently, CRV is 5 cents for containers less than 24 US fluid ounces (710 ml) and 10 cents for containers 24 US fluid ounces (710 ml) or larger. Starting in 2024 wine boxes, pouches and bladders can be redeemed for 25 cents.