Aluminium cans as scrap: are they worth collecting, and how to hand them in
Soft drink and beer cans are made of aluminium, a metal that can be recycled endlessly without losing quality. For you, that means they aren't rubbish but material that sells by the kilo. You won't get rich from them, but don't throw them away either.
In short
- You need roughly 60–70 cans for a kilo of aluminium.
- The magnet test: if it sticks, it's steel, not aluminium.
- Crush them, keep them clean and separate from plastic and paper.
How many you need to collect
An empty 0.5 l can weighs around 15 grams. That means you need roughly 60–70 cans for a kilo.
For a household, that's a few months of collecting. For a bar, a restaurant or an events company, cans pile up within a week — and there it really is worth handing them in regularly.
How to tell them from steel cans
Most drink cans are aluminium, but some are made of steel. The test is simple: hold a magnet to it. If it sticks, it's steel and is paid as scrap iron; if it doesn't, it's aluminium.
Food tins (beans, pâté, fish) are usually steel, so keep them apart from the aluminium cans.
How to collect them so they take up little space
Give them a quick rinse so they don't attract insects, and crush them underfoot. Crushed, several times more fit in a bag.
Don't mix them with plastic bottles, paper or food waste. Clean, separate cans are paid at the aluminium price; a mixed bag pays less or nothing at all.
Where to hand them in
You can bring them to our yard in Cristur, Deva, at Șoseaua Hunedoarei 13. We weigh them on the spot and you get paid along with a weighbridge ticket.
If you run a bar, a restaurant or a business that collects cans in large quantities, we can set up regular pickups with a container or large bags.
Frequently asked questions
- Do cans pay better than scrap iron?
- Yes, per kilo aluminium pays several times more than ordinary iron. It's just that cans are very light, so you need a lot of them.
- What about cans with an SGR deposit?
- Cans carrying the SGR deposit symbol go back to the shop, where you get the deposit refunded. For those, that's a better deal than selling them by the kilo.
- Do I need to remove the ring pull?
- No. The ring pull is aluminium too and stays on the can.
This article is informational and reflects our practice at the date of publication. Romanian environmental legislation changes frequently — for your company's specific situation, check the texts in force and consult the environmental protection agency or a specialist adviser.