On Tue, 08 Sep 2020 Gary wrote:
>itsjoannotjoann wrote:
>> Gary wrote:
>> > My daughter tried collecting aluminum cans once. Basically, one
>> > empty can is worth a penny. 3000 cans might earn you $30. lol
>> >
>> That's why people who do collect aluminum and sell it check the rates and
>> sell when it's high. Right now it's around 34¢ per pound.
>
>I looked up and ran the numbers this morning. Still about the
>same price as she got 30 years ago. Penny per can.
>
>Current rate 34 cents per pound is what you said,
>and it takes about 33 cans to equal a pound.
>
>So....3000 alumimum cans will net you about $30
>right now. I guessed right.
>
>I thought it sad when my city started doing recycling.
>That was a nice bit of change for the homeless bums,
>digging them out of the trash cans each morning.
>
>Then someone here reminded us of states that charge
>deposits on cans. That would up the value quite a bit.
>
>That beer can collection pic looks very cool. Quite
>impressive. Sold as a whole, the collection would
>probably be worth a lot more than just the aluminum value.

In NY there's a 5¢ deposit on each aluminum can, plastic bottle, and
glass bottle... mostly instituted to stop littering and it works. It
used to be the roadways and public places were under a mountain of
empties, now most people return the empties ... all supermarkets have
machines that eat the containers and spit out a reciept that can be
used to pay for groceries or get the cash... the machines are very
fast. It's rare to see cans, plastic, and glass containers as litter.
Naturally some can't be bothered so they put the containers into their
trash bins... the bums go bin to bin collecting the empties, they also
walk the road shoulder picking up the empties that were tossed from
vehicals, typically from the beer drinking teens before they're
stopped by the State Troopers. I walk the shoulder by my house before
mowing and pick up empties, sometimes full six packs that were tossed
because a Trooper was chasing them. Still the depost reduced the
container litter, especially the broken glass bottles. Yet the most
litter is fast food wrappings... another method of packaging fast food
desperately needs to be implemented... eliminate all that styrofoam
that the wind blows for miles and eventually ends up in the lakes,
rivers, and oceans. The worst are those strong plastic straps that
hold six packs together, those tortuous things trap and kill critters.