How do you crush your cans?

[afbrian13]

I figured the garage is a good place for this....

What device do you crush cans with? Standard HF cheapy thing, stomp'em, or have you made some contraption?

I want to build something cool and was thinking you guys are a creative bunch.
I have some extra car parts laying around.

Lets see what you've come up with!

 

[Jawn]

I recently saw a pneumatic cylinder operated crusher on ebay. Uses a pneumatic cylinder to smash the can, then when retracting the ram it uses a jet of air to blast the crushed can off the side of the device into a waiting trash can.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pneumatic-Can-Crusher-/111551720625

No affiliation, just stumbled across it.

 

[bczygan]

Can't get deposit back if they are crushed.

Returnables machine crushes them though.

Of course, tradition dictates that the last empty beer can of an evening, be crushed against your own skull.

 

[hachi-roku_fan]

^^ I just realized how much I'm getting ripped off by selling by weight. My problem is I'd take forever tossing one at a time and have 5 garbage bags full of cans

 

[mmack66]

I used to just stomp on them, but that was back in the golden age of aluminum can recycling, when you actually got some decent return.

 

[bdk1976]

Why not crush them with your hands? I know people with those can crusher things but it takes 3x as long to load and crush rather than just smash them with your hands and toss them in the bin.

 

[afbrian13]

My grandpa always crushed them with his hands, as do i sometimes.

I think its a good excuse for a fun project.
Almost thinking car piston and connecting rod on a wooden crankshaft, old timing gears and chain with a hand crank to spin it. Wooden half cylinder for "compression" Yeah....more trouble than its worth but it would look cool!

 

[lilredex]

Can't get deposit back if they are crushed.

Around here it is OK to crush them this way, squash them like pancakes and they might tell you to buzz off, unless they know you.

 

[Thumper68]

No deposit here so I let the kids go after them with the sledge.

 

[angrystroker]

why bother?

 

[404]

Heat them up a bit with the hair dryer and put them in the cage with the anaconda.

 

[lilredex]

why bother?

They're worth ten cents each.....might not sound like much, but over the year it amounted to $1800 just for picking up a few, walking the dog and riding my bike around the local parks.

There are many public parks with baseball diamonds......baseball=beer!!

Really worthwhile in my area. I have many new tools in my garage and a few bags of dog food in the shelters, thanks to all those beer drinkers.

 

[rslaback]

I use my son's hands and feet.

 

[67carl]

Can't get deposit back if they are crushed.

Around here it is OK to crush them this way, squash them like pancakes and they might tell you to buzz off, unless they know you.

Maybe it depends on where you live and the recycler. I called 3 in my area and they all take crushed aluminum soda cans. Prices range from $1.90 to $2.00 per pound. I've seen estimates anywhere from 32 to 35 cans to make a pound. Beer bottles are a nickel each.

I use the HF crusher, mounted on the garage wall next to the door to the house. Maybe not fancy but it works fine. I have a bucket below for cans and milk crates for bottles. Easy to do. Why not? Although not a giant windfall, it's money back in my pocket that would have gone to the county if I put it in the recycle bin.

 

[383 240z]

I just drink from a bottle. Keith

 

[rslaback]

Maybe it depends on where you live and the recycler. I called 3 in my area and they all take crushed aluminum soda cans. Prices range from $1.90 to $2.00 per pound. I've seen estimates anywhere from 32 to 35 cans to make a pound. Beer bottles are a nickel each.

I use the HF crusher, mounted on the garage wall next to the door to the house. Maybe not fancy but it works fine. I have a bucket below for cans and milk crates for bottles. Easy to do. Why not? Although not a giant windfall, it's money back in my pocket that would have gone to the county if I put it in the recycle bin.

I think they are talking about places not accepting deposit cans if they are crushed. You are talking about a recycling place accepting them as scrap.

Apples and oranges.

 

[zkling]

My left foot, sometimes the right one joins in. Hardly drink anything in a can anymore. Have built a few crushers, manual and powered for novelty. Took up too much space for the little use. Just easier to step on them.

67Carl, Where are you getting $2/lb for aluminum cans?

 

[Kevin54]

Spread them out on the ground and run over them with the garden tractor. personally, I think it would be a hassle. I just fill up contractor cleanup bag with them. Also the Shriners in town will take them no matter how you have them as long as they are separated. Meaning no other trash in with them. they have contracted with the local bars in town for the cans.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I used to melt them down myself, but there was so much slag for the aluminum gained, it was a hassle. It was good aluminum, but it was also an all day project.

I just drink from a bottle. Keith

Except for PBR and the occasioanl 12-pack of Sierra Nevada Pale in a can (fits better in the beer & cigar fridge) and Co'Cola & 7-up cans it's all bottles. If I had one of those cool bottle dispenser machines there wouldn't even be those.

I just fill up contractor cleanup bag with them... the Shriners in town will take them no matter how you have them as long as they are separated.

I can't think of a better way to get rid of them... Shriners do some amazing good works, and know how to make a nickle do the work of a quarter. A bag of cans - can do an awful lot of good.

 

[Krash Kadillak]

We've got a 'recycling program' her in Oregon, so you pay a fee up front when you buy the product, then get some back when you stand for an hour at a machine loading cans into it. They made some ridiculous rule that you can only redeem like $9.00/day max. No way I'm going down every week to that machine.

I would like to do away with the 'standing at the machine' part and crush my cans / take to a metals recycler, but I don't know the cost differential...... have to do some research.

 

[afbrian13]

Here in Nebraska its by the pound crushed or not. We dont go through a ton of cans, friends and neighbors do. My son's cub scout pack collects them aand use the money towards pack activities. It gets the boys cleaning up, recycling, and generating a couple dollars for themselves.

Didn't really intend to start a recycling or if its worth it debate. Just seeing if there are any cool ides out there.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I usually have the wife crush our cans.......

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCEQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D58oum1UmMA8&rct=j&q=crush%20cans%20with%20breast&ei=JuKVVNe_HNOQyASK4IGgAw&usg=AFQjCNGmAeD0n0qbTMkX08pDXtQXaDuETQ&bvm=bv.82001339,d.aWw

 

[58Yeoman]

We have a large plastic bag hanging in the garage, and throw them uncrushed in there. When the bag is full, we take it to the no-kill animal shelter down the road. They have a special trailer there just for cans.

 

[BADSIX]

we have a deposit on all cans a bottles and can't crush them. I just load them in a garbage bag and when I go to work I give them to some homeless person.
Jay D.

 

[67carl]

...67Carl, Where are you getting $2/lb for aluminum cans?

I'm in Sacramento. The first place I called was Capital City Recycling. I specifically asked about crushed soda cans. They said they take them and are paying $1.90/lb. Their website has a coupon that adds a nickel to that, so it would be $1.95/lb. I don't remember the others, may have been DC Metals and Cal Recycling.

http://www.capcityrecycling.com

 

[rslaback]

We've got a 'recycling program' her in Oregon, so you pay a fee up front when you buy the product, then get some back when you stand for an hour at a machine loading cans into it. They made some ridiculous rule that you can only redeem like $9.00/day max. No way I'm going down every week to that machine.

I would like to do away with the 'standing at the machine' part and crush my cans / take to a metals recycler, but I don't know the cost differential...... have to do some research.

I'm guessing that is to prevent the hosers from Idaho and Washington from bringing them across the border by the truck load. I read somewhere that I think Michigan pays out more per year than is paid in deposit because of can return fraud.

 

[James-W]

I built a can crusher so I could condense the cans into a smaller space. That way I can take them in to sell less often than if they weren't crushed. Below is a link to a video that I made, the young woman is my oldest daughter. The idea on how to build this came to me while I was in Iraq. When I returned home I built the can crusher and have been using it ever since.

This is a rather large file so depending on your Internet speed it may take awhile for it to load.

http://www.windemuth.org/video-files/Can-Crusher.wmv

 

[fiaroadster]

log on to utube and type "can crusher" There are many varieties shown. I made the garage door opener type and it works VERY well.

 

[JUNK-MAN]

I use my foot.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I usually have the wife crush our cans...

How did I know something like that would show up...

Tommy

 

[CoopVA]

I drink bottled beer...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[HOTFR8]

Told here not to crush them any more as so many people filled them with rubbish so they weighed more. I can tell it is much easier not having to crush them but harder to store them before I cash them in.

 

[CNGsaves]

we have a deposit on all cans a bottles and can't crush them. I just load them in a garbage bag and when I go to work I give them to some homeless person.
Jay D.

^ ^ Nice work there Badsix !

When I was in junior high, there was old guy who lived in dugout in ground next to a salvage yard, He had nickname Joe In The Hole and man-oh-man did he really work at collecting cans by riding his bike miles and miles every day. Our rural road was kept picked real clean, and he always had several big bags on his bike when you'd see him bicycle past down the road. I'm guessing he was maybe 50+ at the time. He literally did survive by re-cycling.

 

[BillK]

I throw them in the re-cycling bin and put them out at the curb every two weeks

 

[mrodgers]

They're worth ten cents each.....might not sound like much, but over the year it amounted to $1800 just for picking up a few, walking the dog and riding my bike around the local parks.

Holy smokes.

My daughter came home from kindergarten and said it's earth day, we should recycle our aluminum cans.

I saved cans for 3 years. Had 5 garbage bags of them, mostly crushed. Figured it was time to show the kid the recycler. Drove 20 miles in a 20 mpg vehicle at $3/gallon, got $6, and drove 20 miles home. Net $0 for saving aluminum cans for 3 freakin years.

 

[Steroblan]

I use a freebie trash compactor from the 80's. Works well enough and stores the cans. you can still buy the bags.

 

[onewheat]

I built a can crusher so I could condense the cans into a smaller space. That way I can take them in to sell less often than if they weren't crushed. Below is a link to a video that I made, the young woman is my oldest daughter. The idea on how to build this came to me while I was in Iraq. When I returned home I built the can crusher and have been using it ever since.

This is a rather large file so depending on your Internet speed it may take awhile for it to load.

http://www.windemuth.org/video-files/Can-Crusher.wmv

NICE - I love your build. Very cool, nice job. Your wife looks like she could use a step-stool though.

 

[slip knot]

We get @ 50 cents/lb for our cans. I'll take a few sacks of crushed cans in every 6 months or so and take @ $50 home. We get $.50/lb no matter wether they are whole or crushed.

 

[lotsoftools]

I dump mine on the driveway to smash with the tractor.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Holy smokes.

My daughter came home from kindergarten and said it's earth day, we should recycle our aluminum cans.

I saved cans for 3 years. Had 5 garbage bags of them, mostly crushed. Figured it was time to show the kid the recycler. Drove 20 miles in a 20 mpg vehicle at $3/gallon, got $6, and drove 20 miles home. Net $0 for saving aluminum cans for 3 freakin years.

Yeah, but they're not in a landfill & were reused to make new products...

Tommy