different kinds of cans

[fiatboy]

I'm saving aluminum cans of the soda pop/beer variety, which seem very different from cans for food. Do I need to separate food cans (like Campbells soup cans, i.e. the kinds that can't be easily crushed) from typical aluminum cans? Are they a different metal? Am I even asking the right questions? I really don't know much about this stuff, but since I'm saving as much metal as I can, I am trying to learn. Any advice or info will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

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[pepperpump]

Hi Fiatboy, you do need to seperate them...they are two different types of metal. The scrap yards will know and get mad.
Pepperpump

 

[fiatboy]

Thanks. Do I need to separate thicker Heineken-like cans from regular Coke-type cans? I think they're the same metal, just different thickness.

What're the different types of copper? How can I tell the difference? Do they need to be separated? As a general rule of thumb, should I pretty much separate everything?

 

[Rumblebelly]

Fiatboy,

I would keep aluminum cans (beer, energy drink, soda, tea) together with pie/take out aluminum containers and used aluminum foil. Usually food cans (campbell's, vegetable, or sketti O's, etc) are steel. If a magnet sticks to it, do not put it with the aluminum cans... pepperpump is correct the scrap yards will get real mad. The one I got to will take high power magnets to the cans until they know you and check the bags. I don't add try to add weight to it... with steel... thats not good. You want the guys to trust you. I you want a little extra weight to the bags, drop them off on a rainy day. I have a pick up and I keep my bags outside, so I get a little extra water weight.

Usually the steel food cans I throw in the town recycle bin. I called the other day and steel scrap prices in the south suburbs of Chicago is between $150.00-$200.00 a ton. I don't have the space, I don't want a pile of rust in my backyard (nor does my wife)! Or I put the steel in a box to the curb, because I have 3 steel scrappers that drive their pickups around here on garbage day, figured I'd help them out.

If the cans are made of tin, that might be worth looking into. I'm not sure about that though, call your scrap yard and ask them, they'll be happy to let you know.

Just have a nice magnet with you. If it doesn't stick, it's probably worth good money.
silver colored metals :aluminum, stainless steel, nickel plated brass or copper, silver
yellow brass, bronze, and copper too are great.

hope this helps, sorry if I rambled on. I'll be happy to help if you have more questions, let me know.
Rumblebelly

 

[fiatboy]

Thanks for the info everyone!

 

[hyderconsulting]

Fiatboy, the replies to your questions posted here in the forum are very good, especially rumblebelly's. Let me add some more to help some more. Do use a magnet to help you figure out which cans are aluminum. Usually all soda drink cans are aluminum and some cat and dog food cans which can also go into your aluminum bag pile. Now some scrapyards allow aluminum pie pans and foil in your cans and sometimes not. You have to inquire with the scalemaster at the yard to see. Aluminum pie pans and foil are considered low grade aluminum and some scrap yards buy it for around 12 cents a pound separately. Also the scrap yard will make a deduction (most of the time) for cans being wet. Now about steel food cans which are often referred to as tin cans. Where this comes from is that on a lot of the food cans there is a superthin coating off tin metal on the inside to prevent acidic food from corroding the steel. These cans have no special value to the scrap yard for they are just another type of low grade steel scrap. As a matter of fact some scrap yards don't like to take them for the steel in them contaminated with too much copper and aluminum to mix with other steel scrap.

Now about separating out your copper scrap and how to do it. You are right to go ahead and just separate everything out to end the confusion. Let's say you do and you get about six different piles of copper scrap. Put the scrap in boxes and take it to the scrap yard. The scalemaster will know which of the boxes can be combined to fit the scrap into a certain grade to simplify weighing for him. I still do this all the time even with my 20 years of experience scrapping. It's impossible to know everthing about scrap metal all the time. If you think it would help check my previous posts and seriously consider buying my book which tells all about this stuff you asked. And keep asking questions. Rumblebelly, you thought you rambled on.!!! Regards, Chris Hyder.

 

[fiatboy]

Thanks a million.

 

[pepperpump]

Everyone hear is right about the seperating...if you try and mix items, they will get mad and give you "dirty" prices which are alot lower. Good luck!
Pepperpump 8)