How Many Cans? How Much Money?

Shopping Cart44

Volume, value, and a vw.

Could it be true? Could collecting cans in a shopping cart generate a significant income? How many cans could one of those carts hold? And what would those cans be worth at the recycling center? On Saturday morning, we decided to find out. - Link


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Posted by: aplumb on September 16, 2006 at 7:47 PM

Oh, the horror! Think of all the projects that could have been made from all those cans, had they built a foundry and melted them down.

...Or simply made them into something Etsy-able - they coulda made ten times as much! At least!


Posted by: Cprek on September 16, 2006 at 11:15 PM

It seems like a waste to crush them. In michigan you can get 10cents per uncrushed can, so a basketfull for twenty-some dollars is sad.


Posted by: tms10000 on September 17, 2006 at 2:38 PM

Indeed Mr Cprek. However, their 853 uncrushed cans, at 10 c a pop would be $85.30 at the Michigan rate.

Whatever the mode of transportation would be, a round trip from California to Michigan is bound to cost a lot more than the promised $85.3.

It's the transportation that get you. Unless you can pair with Newmann, it's hard to pull off.


Posted by: jimofoz on September 19, 2006 at 11:37 AM

That Michigan rate only applies to Michigan cans for which a deposit has been paid. They've busted guys for trying to smuggle in non-Michigan cans and also for trying to re-refund cans.


Posted by: cockerham on September 19, 2006 at 2:56 PM

Just an FYI, we also measured the volume of 13-gallon "outboard" garbage bags the homeless use. They hold 256 crushed cans each. Thanks for the link!


Posted by: svofski on June 4, 2007 at 3:30 AM

Parts on the bottom of this page
http://gcam.js.cx/index.php/Main_Page
were made from melted Al cans
http://www.js.cx/Site/Alumaforge%201.html

This could become sort of mainstream :)


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