My Clearwater
Metal Cans Make Good Recycling
Did you know that metal cans can be recycled
infinitely? They are the most valuable material in
the recycling stream for that reason.
Metal does not degrade when it is recycled, unlike paper and
plastic, which can be limited in how many times they can be
recycled before becoming too broken down to be made into
something new. Steel cans, such as soup cans, are recycled
at a 75-percent rate, the highest of any material. With 45
billion cans recycled in the United States in 2019, they
generated more than $55 billion in economic impact.
Metal cans are good for the environment, too. Using
recycled aluminum to make beverage cans reduces energy
use and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent,
compared to making the same cans with new aluminum. On
60 MyClearwater
average, aluminum cans are made from 73-percent recycled
content in the United States.
To make sure they can be recycled, do not crush your
aluminum cans. Crushing them can make cans more
susceptible to being sifted out during the recycling sorting
process, before they can make it to the aluminum sorter.
When you open metal cans, if the lid is removed completely,
put it inside the can to be recycled. If it is still attached to
the can, push the lid down into the can. This will help avoid
injury and ensure the lid is recycled.
For more information about metal-can recycling, visit
cancentral.com/sustainability. To learn more about recycling
in the city of Clearwater, visit myclearwater.com/recycling.
/sustainability
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