Question about recycling cans for cash...

[hookedup]

I have been saving aluminum cans for months and I am about ready to go cash them in - do different recycling centers pay different amounts? I have never done this before so I was not sure if I should just go to my local place or shop around for a better deal.
Thanks!

[powellrj]

my kids use to recyle cans. We have a scrape metel yard that would pay the best price. There use to be can machines you could use, but I haven't seen them in a while and they would charge a handling fee. I know our prices are listed in the classifed section of our newspaper.

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

Maybe I'm a little stupid, but isn't it 5 cents per can? We bring it to our local supermarket where they have machines and then get the cash from the service counter. My dd collects them - that's how she gets all the spending money for our trips. When my sister and I were younger (back in the 70's) we used to collect newspapers from EVERYONE in the neighborhood and store them in the garage. When there was enough to fill the old station wagon (minus my sister, myself and daddy), we would go to the salvage yard and drive the car on the scale, empty out the thousands of papers and then weigh the car again. We made TONS! of $$ for our trips that way.

[elgerber]

I have been saving aluminum cans for months and I am about ready to go cash them in - do different recycling centers pay different amounts? I have never done this before so I was not sure if I should just go to my local place or shop around for a better deal.
Thanks!

I would call around first. When we used to take them in, there were definitely varying prices in what they would pay. Most places pay per pound, which is always a much better deal than the machines you would find in the supermarket.

[powellrj]

Maybe I'm a little stupid, but isn't it 5 cents per can? We bring it to our local supermarket where they have machines and then get the cash from the service counter. My dd collects them - that's how she gets all the spending money for our trips. When my sister and I were younger (back in the 70's) we used to collect newspapers from EVERYONE in the neighborhood and store them in the garage. When there was enough to fill the old station wagon (minus my sister, myself and daddy), we would go to the salvage yard and drive the car on the scale, empty out the thousands of papers and then weigh the car again. We made TONS! of $$ for our trips that way.
No, thats only in areas where you pay a deposit for your cans. In most states there is no can deposit, so you have to find someplace that will accept your cans and pay for them (many places will take cans but not pay for them)

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

ooohhhhhh - thanks for clearing that up! :wave:

[tiberius]

I can tell you that in my area, different places do offer different prices for their cans. So I would say that calling around might be well worth the effort.