pop-we eco-living tips: Aluminum Can Recycling

Editor’s note: In the past, population-we™ has dedicated an entire month of posts to celebrate the anniversary of Earth Day. Just like our planet needing more people to adopt sustainable living practices, population-we™ will commit to this cause and start offering regular articles to encourage our readers to embrace a greener lifestyle at work and home. So, our popular Facebook and Twitter "pop-we eco-living tips" will now become a regular feature. This is our first feature -- courtesy of contributor Brian Brown -- on aluminum can recycling.

Can Pac Millard Location.

Depending on the source you read, there are 1,500 aluminum cans thrown away per second. Then others report: 9,000 aluminum cans per minute or 250 cans per person per year. Any way you look at it, it is clear that we need to recycle and aluminum cans are very easy to do. In our city the public trash service picks up recyclables such as aluminum cans, paper products and plastic bottles. They no longer collect glasses; however, there are recycling sites throughout the city that will take glass as well as cardboard.

About a year ago, our household decided to save aluminum cans and just see how many we could collect. Since throughout the year we hold a variety of get togethers at are our house for family and friends. During that time, we had saved about two 40-gallon trash bags and another 13-gallon trash bag full of cans.

Last week we decided to take our can collection to Can Pac a local recycling company. According to their website the going rate is $0.35 per pound for aluminum cans. Also on their website is a coupon for an additional $0.10 per pound for a total of $0.45 per pound. Attendants are on hand to help you recycle at each location. Make sure to print off your coupon because I learned first-hand that flashing the attendant the coupon on your smart phone isn't acceptable by management (how ironic). After our bags of cans were put through the machine we received $4.09. Another tip, call first to check on hours. Visit here for all Omaha Metro locations and phone numbers.

Now $4.09 might not sounds like a lot of money for the time to save the cans, the room it takes to store all the cans but consider the bigger picture…you are helping the environment. Also, consider these factors: we are a household of two, according to the Can Pac website they will take flattened cans. If you would like to collect cans for money -- I say try it. If you do not like collecting cans, you can still put them on the curb for the city to recycle but at least you are still recycling, which is something we can and should all do.


In celebration of the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with regular green posts the entire year! Thanks for reading our first pop-we eco-living tips' feature. 

- population-we™ blog post by Brian Brown 

© 2012 population-we, LLC

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