Aluminum Can Collecting: Will it Make You Money?

If you've ever wondered how much money you can get by collecting soda cans and cashing them in as scrap metal, you're about to find out.

The going rate for aluminum is anywhere between 25 cents and 90 cents per pound, depending on where you live. The rate usually changes too, every now and then. This applies to any metal that you are recycling.

So you've been collecting cans, and want to know how much money you can make from them. Well, I'm about to burst your bubble. Let's do the math, if you're cashing in 100 cans at .75 per pound, you're only making about $2.34 total! For 10,000 cans, that about $234.38 profit. How do I figure that out? Take 10,000 cans, divide that by the number of cans in 1 lb, which is about 32. That equals about 312.5 lbs. Since you would be making about .75 per pound, multiply 75 cents by 312.5 lbs to get $234.38. Do the math on the number of cans you have collected to see how much money you would possibly make. Remember, the rate of aluminum is always changing, and it depends on where you live. Call around to your local metal scrap recyclers to see what the going rate in your area is.

I don't know about you, but it can really take a long time to collect 10,000 cans, unless you drink a lot of pop and beer, and I mean A LOT. If you are headstrong about collecting cans, make sure they are dry and clean inside. Also, you should crush them before you put them in a garbage bag or other container. By crushing the cans, you can fit more in the bags, thus taking up less room!

If anything, don't rely on your cans to make you a lot of money. Even if you can collect that 10,000 cans, which is highly unlikely, it is still not a lot of money. Factor in the time it takes to collect the cans, the money you spend on the soda itself to get the can, and the gas you use to take the cans to the recycling plant, you probably are not making a good profit anyway.

Overall, I'm not sure if aluminum is the way to go if you want to recycle metal, since aluminum is not only light weight, but not worth as much as other metals. If you want to make money, you could cash in other metals that may be worth more, such as copper or stainless steel.

There are many scrap metal recyclers around the country, you probably can find at least 1 in your area. One place in particular, in the Canonsburg area, right outside of Pittsburgh, is Canon Mac Metals, located off of the I-79 Canonsburg exit. If you are serious about collecting cans, do your research and decide if it's really worth the time and effort. You may even decide to collect a metal that is worth more money. Good luck!