Aluminum Cans

Gercarson · #1 09/26/04, 04:21 PM

No, I'm not psychic and not all that observant but I can tell that the price of aluminum cans has fallen out the bottom. We, who travel rural or semi-rural roads, can see that the usual symbiotic relationship between the mysterious can tossers and the not so mysterious can picker-uppers no longer exists. The cans are really gaining. There was a time when a certain element of our society would take it upon themselves to clean the roadways and make a few dollars while exercising. Now, the incentive is gone and the exercisers must stroll/bike in other areas - but...the can tossers are still in full force. Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

RedneckWoman · #2 09/26/04, 05:19 PM

Cans are staying around .30 and .34 a pound here which is a great price for my area. I used to walk along the road and pick them up but don't have the time anymore and rarely see any to pick up if I could but I do have to have my generic diet doctor pepper so I generate enough of my own to recycle lol.

landlord · #3 09/26/04, 07:34 PM

Our state has a 5 cents deposit on cans. Granted there are cans along the road beings some neighboring states do not have this deposit. But the roads are much cleaner and many people will take the time to stop and collect tossed cans.

suelandress · #4 09/26/04, 07:37 PM

We have a 5 cent deposit as well. It doesn't keep people from tossing them, but there are folks who go around collecting them. Some are really entrepreneurial and go through the recycle bins as well

**clovis** · #5 09/26/04, 08:46 PM

Cans are about .40 a pound here in Central Indiana.

#6 09/26/04, 10:10 PM

I know an old guy who started collecting cans after he retired. He made a regular route out of dumpsters and places people worked. In 7 years he sold enough to pay cash for a ford ranger pickup. Not bad.

**Shrek** · #7 09/27/04, 03:11 AM

China has increased the demand for all scrap metal. As they slow their manufacturng growth, prices may fall over the next 12 months.

http://www.mlive.com/business/grpres...0809835370.xml.

Aluminum here has been ranging from 35 to 47 cents a pound for drink cans yet few people seem to be recycling it. for the last year I have been buying cans from the neighborhood kids at 15 cents a pound down from primary center price , which gives them a couple cents a pound above secondary center price without transport costs and issues. I also have recycling bins at 4 area businesses on the 50/50 process deal based on secondary center prices on pick up day with the owners. I store my aluminum until I have a cotton trailer full and keep an overhead log to know what my cash in speculation base has to be to achieve a profit before driving the 40 miles to the recycle center.

BCR · #8 09/27/04, 06:08 AM

Shrek--leave it to you to break it all down in the most profitable way. Very neat.

I must confess that I simply take mine to the recycling center and give them to them and do not collect the money. I used to but now they take your name/SS number etc. to turn in cash as income should you redeem so many a year. Not worth the hassles for me.

dot · #9 09/27/04, 12:16 PM

About how many soda cans does it take to make a pound? I know some of you have figured it out!

Ravenlost · #10 09/27/04, 12:21 PM

We only pick up the cans on our road frontage and that averages two-three a day. I save every can I come in contact with and usually go to the recycling center a few miles down the road about twice a year...whenever my husband starts complaining about all the cans piled up in the garage and barn! I need to go now...the price is .43 a lb.

**Shrek** · #11 09/27/04, 04:29 PM

BCR,
I have to adhere to the "time is money perspective" or else I cant justify the project is all. Recycled aluminum is just another investment commodity

Dot,
1 pound takes 31 complete cans or 35 cans with the pop tabs removed. And yes many folks try to fill cans with dirt or remove tabs which is why in addition to weighing and computing for 3% FOE, I also sample count lots before purchasing them.

CraftyDiva · #12 09/27/04, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppy

I know an old guy who started collecting cans after he retired. He made a regular route out of dumpsters and places people worked. In 7 years he sold enough to pay cash for a ford ranger pickup. Not bad.

I too know of a man who would hit the public parks first thing every morning and after a few years paid cash for a brand new Caddy. After that his wife forbid him from collecting any cans with the Caddy........... :haha:

Esteban29304 · #13 09/28/04, 07:40 AM

I help a local disabled guy by getting friends to save cans for him. I also, tow his trailerload [ he can't drive] to the recycler.Most everyone in this area knows him & saves cans for him. He can drive a golf cart & go pick them up.The recycler knows him, also, & helps him out by giving him a good price. Last trip, we had 850 lbs @ $0.52 a lb. We usually have another #100 in other scrap as well.

havellostmywings · #14 09/28/04, 08:17 AM

back 10 yrs ago when i lived in california... they paid $1 a lb at the recycler... they also had machines set up in front of stores... a penny a can for every one you put in the machine... and you didnt have to crush them, the machine did it for you... we collected cans, put gas in my car many a times...

in texas....... 30 cents a lb .... infact, i think the highest i have ever seen it in texas is 34 cents...

enterprizing family i knew... collected cans from bars, resturants, everywhere they could, they had rented a 10x20 storage space... on the weekends they would crush the cans... running over them with an suv... and 2 times a month they rented a semi truck and drove to california and cashed in the cans. According to them, they were making $3000 over the cost of the rental of the truck and storage space. They finally bought a piece of property where they could store the cans and that cut down their out go... Now, the husband had a
regular job... the wife and the kids made the rounds for the cans during the week... then he helped doing the crushing and transport to california...

I wish I was this enterprizing...

Lynn in Texas

DrippingSprings · #15 09/28/04, 08:24 AM

biggest reason for the decline in roadside cans is the invention of the 20 ounce bottle. too bad you cant get as much for them or you would have to fight over them lol we buy drinks on sale each week for 2 dollars a 12 pack and save the cans. we collected enough to buy a new john deere twin cylinder riding mower off of them

John_in_Houston · #16 09/28/04, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by havellostmywings

in texas....... 30 cents a lb .... infact, i think the highest i have ever seen it in texas is 34 cents...

Lynn in Texas

I see signs for 43 cents/pound here in Inner city Houston...

DrippingSprings · #17 09/28/04, 08:27 AM

also check in your area as the places near me will not accept crushed cans. seems folks like to drop a small rock in them before crushing. i also knew of a guy who put a teaspoon of cement in about one can in ten lolo

dave98 · #18 09/28/04, 11:35 AM

I just got 53 cents a pound north of Houston near Livingston. They took my crushed cans.

What's the deal with the pop tops? Someone at my work saves them for some childerens org. Are they worth more? Anyone take them for $$$

Dave

BamaSuzy · #19 09/28/04, 12:01 PM

We're still getting 30 to 35 cents a lb. here in north central Alabama. We usually save ours until I have several feed sacks full then I take them in. OUr can guy also owns a filling station so I usually just put whatever amount the cans are, into the car for gas. May have to to that today as a matter of fact!

We collect our cans and any others that we find. I've also given whole bags full to a guy who rides up and down the roads occassionally on a specially rigged bike.

I don't like to see anybody throw a can away because to me that's just like throwing money away!

morrowsmowers · #20 09/28/04, 08:41 PM

Great to hear that there are so many other "scrap" collectors out there. We got started when Ken worked with an old retired plumber -- he sold all of the scrap from their jobs and split the profits with us. Now we try to collect any scrap we can find and sell it when we get enough. In our area (30 miles SE of Philly) cans are about 30 cents per pound -- 25 to 27 cans per pound. They were at a low of about 17 cents a pound a while back. As scrap prices go up it seems the economy in general goes up. We collect and sell to the scrap yard copper, aluminum, aluminum cans, stainless steel, and insulated wire. Our largest load was over 800 lbs. and we got about $350.00 for it. Most times we sell small amounts for about $15 to $40 per load. We usually collect cans as we walk around town and we take out friends cans, too. To bad it's illegal here to take cans out of the recycle buckets!!! Wonder how mahy cans it would take to make a living ???

Ken & Sue in Glassboro, NJ