Q: What goes in the scrap metal bin at the Stanford Recycling Drop-Off Center?
A: We will take any aluminum, brass, copper, or steel item that will fit into the bin that does not contain hazardous material. You can put wire, tricycles, lawn mowers (gas removed), coat hangers, grates, small metal appliance or kitchen utensils, pots and pans. golf clubs, door handles, etc... Anything that is metal! No large appliances or items that container freon, oil, or gasoline.

Q: Do you accept steel cans and how are these different from tin cans?
A: Yes, we accept steel, tin, and bimetal cans. Please rinse the lids and cans. Place the lids inside the cans to prevent injury. It is not necessary to remove the labels. Steel cans are made from tinplate steel, which is produced in basic oxygen furnaces. A thin layer of tin is applied to the can's inner and outer surfaces to prevent rusting and protect food and beverage flavors. As a result, steel cans are often called "tin cans." Due to changes in steel making, an increasing amount of cans use a chromium wash in place of tin. The term "bi-metal can" refers to the aluminum top on steel beverage cans.

Q: Do I have to rinse off all of the food from the aluminum foil before I can recycle it?
A: Please remove as much food as possible from the aluminum foil, although it does not have to be squeaky clean. Aluminum foil is stored in large containers for about six months until enough of it can be baled, and ship to market. If food is left on the aluminum foil, it will begin to mold and become unsanitary for our collectors to handle it.

Q: What should I do if I see someone pulling aluminum cans out of the recycle bins?
A: If you see someone in the act of stealing recyclables from the recycling bins, please report it to the Stanford police. Try to get a description of the person, description of the bicycle or the vehicle license plate, and the direction the person is headed. Do not approach the person.

Q: How many aluminum cans are recycled and why should we recycle them?
A:The numbers show that less and less Americans are. In 2002, Americans wasted approximately $800 million by discarding nearly 50 billion aluminum cans into the landfills according to a study produced by Alcan Inc, a Montreal-based aluminum and packaging company. The rate dropped from 67.9% in 1992 to 53.4% in 2002 nationwide. In California, the recycling rate for aluminum cans has dropped one percent every year since 2000 to 74%. The aluminum can still has the highest recycling rate of all beverage containers, so why is there a concern about its decline?

Recycling saves energy. The aluminum beverage can is 100 percent recyclable back into new beverage cans indefinitely. Recycling aluminum cans into new metal saves up to 95% of the energy required to make the primary aluminum. In 2001, the energy lost from unrecycled cans was equal to approximately 16 million barrels of crude oil or enough power to supply electricity to 2.7 million homes for a year, according to the study. The energy saved from recycling helps the environment because it reduces production related emissions, such as greenhouse gases.

Aluminum cans are valuable. The aluminum can is the only packaging material that more than covers the cost of collection and re-processing for itself and, in fact, also subsidizes the collection of other containers, including plastic and glass. Since 1990, approximately 7 million tons of aluminum cans with a market value of $7 billion have not been recycled.

Action. What is to blame for the decline? Lack of awareness and consuming more beverages on-the-go. Realize that aluminum cans have value and look for places to recycle when you are away from home. If you can’t find a place, bring them home and put them in your curbside recycling bin.

Source: Waste Age, May 2003; http://aluminum.org/

Q: How much energy is saved by recycling aluminum cans?
A: Aluminum can be recycled again and again without losing quality - the same aluminum can appear back on store shelves as many as 4 times in just one year! The same amount of energy is used to produce 20 recycled cans as 1 new can. Energy is thrown away each time an aluminum can is thrown away. Energy saved from recycling 1 ton of aluminum is equal to the amount of electricity the average home uses over 10 years. In addition, the energy saved by recycling 1 ton of aluminum could fuel a car that gets 35 mpg for 82, 250 miles. It is important to recycle aluminum cans to save resources and energy and reduce pollution!
Source: ALCAN