From aerosols and canned food to carbonated drinks, metal cans are extensively used in various industries. Today, it is possible for a household to go through tens of metal cans in a week, especially if you consider how much takeaway food people eat. The good news is that metal cans are easily recyclable; it does not matter how many you have in your house. However, the management of metal cans before disposal determines their recyclability. Here are the dos of metal can recycling.  

1. Empty and Clean Contents

It is common to toss soda and food cans into a bin with some content. However, it is the last thing you should do because food and liquid remnants in one metal can render a whole bunch of cans unrecyclable. The first thing you should do once after drinking your soda or eating your food is rinse the can thoroughly to eliminate any remnants. Only toss a metal can once you are sure that there is no debris inside. Although rinsing takes an effort, it is significant to the success of metal can recycling. 

2. Remove the Paper Labels

The writings on soda and aerosol cans are printed directly on the metal surface, so you do not have to worry about any papers. However, food cans are a different story because most have paper labels around them. Most people think that paper labels and adhesive might contaminate metal cans during the recycling process. However, it is not the case because metallic cans are treated to burn the labels and glue. Nonetheless, you should remove paper labels from metallic cans since it saves workers at recycling plants time and effort. Therefore, it goes a long way in helping recycling centres go through tonnes of metal waste within a short time. 

3. Remove Plastic Caps

The lids on aerosols and food cans are made of plastic. Since caps are small, it is easy to toss cans with the lid still on. During transit to a recycling facility, some metal cans fuse tightly with their caps, making it difficult to separate them. However, it renders metal cans unrecyclable, affecting recycling efforts. Therefore, it is advisable to remove plastic lids from metal cans before tossing them in garbage bins. Most importantly, ensure that plastic lids go in bins that hold other plastic recyclables. It facilitates overall recycling efforts and reduces the proliferation of dumping sites.

For more information, contact metal recycling services. 

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