This article was written by Randy Klauk, Hennepin County Master Recycler/Composter
Metal is the third of our series on curbside recycling in Minneapolis. Metal is not too complicated; there’s steel (magnetic) and aluminum (not magnetic). Most beverage cans are aluminum; whereas, soup and vegetable cans are steel. Sometimes cans are referred to as ‘tin.’ No can is made entirely of tin, but some steel cans have a tin coating to reduce corrosion. You don’t need to remove the paper labels on cans because the recycling process will take care of that.
Besides cans, you can recycle aluminum, like that used for pie tins. In addition, aluminum foil can be recycled. When recycling aluminum foil, make sure it’s clean and then crunch the foil into a ball at least three inches in size and put it in your recycling cart. Rinse all aluminum before putting in your recycling cart. Some of those little scraps from wine bottle tops could be mixed in if you’re sure it’s all aluminum and not plastic. The wire piece that keeps the cork in the Champagne bottle (called a muzzle) is usually steel so don’t mix it with the aluminum (put it in the can with the bottle caps, see below).
In the old days, before One Sort Recycling took over for “source separation,” we were told to crush the cans. Don’t do that anymore. All containers should be left in the dimension you bought them. In addition, throw all the metal into your blue bin loosely; don’t leave it in a bag. If you collect recycling in plastic or paper bags in your home, empty the bags into the cart. This helps with sorting. Any paper bags can be left in the recycle bin but need to be empty. Plastic bags need to be taken to a grocery store where they have collection boxes.
Metal bottle caps (like those found on beer and glass soda bottles) are too small to be recycled on their own. Loose bottle caps will fall through sorting equipment at the recycling facility and will end up in the glass where they will be thrown away at the secondary glass processor. To recycle metal bottle caps, put them inside a steel can along with any muzzles you have and pinch the top of the can so they don’t fall out. Decorative tins can also be recycled after being rinsed clean.
Many people don’t have a lot of bottle caps to put into a can every two weeks for their recycling pickup day. One thing you can do is have a can in a convenient place where you can place the caps until you have enough to fill the can about halfway and then squeeze the can’s opening closed so the caps can’t fall out.
Metal items that cannot be recycled curbside include: Pots, pans, pipes, tools, appliances, electronics, cords, hangers, silverware, Christmas lights and propane cylinders. Any of these items can damage equipment and harm workers at recycling sorting facilities. That doesn’t mean these things can’t be recycled, just not in your blue cart.
Most appliances will be taken by the company where you bought your new one. Propane tanks that you use for a gas grill need to be taken to the retailer where you buy a new tank or trade for a filled tank. Hennepin County Drop-Off Facilities don’t take anything larger than one-pound cylinders.
Aerosol cans, like hairspray, deodorant or paint with liquid or pressure remaining can be taken to a drop-off facility. Empty aerosol cans may be placed in the garbage.
Recycling scrap steel uses 75 percent less energy to process than iron ore, whereas recycling aluminum uses 95 percent less energy. Compared to mining for virgin ore, the energy savings from using recycled metals is up to 92 percent for aluminum, 90 percent for copper and 56 percent for steel.