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Recycling isn’t always as easy as chucking cardboard, plastic and aluminum into a blue bin — just ask these 7 takeout containers. Recycling takes a bit of know-how to get it right and getting it wrong makes the entire system run less efficiently. 

Crushing cans seems like a good idea since it saves space, allowing you to fill the bin more. It’s also kind of fun, but as it turns out, it’s not a habit you should break.


This story is part of CNET Zero, a series that chronicles the impact of climate change and explores what’s being done about the problem.

One of the biggest recycling myths: you should crush cans before recycling them. Actually, sorting machines at recycling facilities need to recognize a can’s shape to properly identify it. 

When you flatten it, you’re just confusing the equipment and potentially sending perfectly good aluminum to the dump. A little effort makes a real difference, so let’s recycle with intention. 

Here are some easy tips for recycling to make sure you’re always on the right page. 

Which sorts of metal cans can be recycled?

All metal cans are recyclable, if they’ve been cleaned. Examples include:

Aerosol cansBeverage cans, like soda and beer, including the tabsCanned goodsPaint cansCleaning metal cans

Don’t do this: Toss cans into the recycling bin before cleaning. If foods or liquids are left in the cans, they can contaminate an entire batch of recyclables, rendering them useless. Unrinsed cans can also attract roaches, rodents and other nasty critters that you don’t want crawling around your bins.

Do this instead: Make sure all cans are clear of liquids or foods that could be left in the container. You can do this by rinsing the can when you’re finished with it.

What to do with the lids stacked canned foods

Clean out all cans before recycling.

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Canned goods: Don’t remove the lid only halfway before placing it into the recycling bin. Instead, completely remove the lid from the can and place it inside the can (after rinsing). Only place lids inside an empty can made of the same metal material.

Aerosol cans: Lids on aerosol cans are typically plastic so you should remove those before putting the cans into the bin. The plastic lids should go with other plastic recyclables, as the heat applied during the metal recycling process will destroy any plastic recyclables mixed into the batch.

Do I need to remove paper labels before recycling cans? campbell's soup can

Don’t worry about removing labels from cans before recycling, but it’s important to remove labels from plastics before recycling.

VelhoJunior/Getty Images

Generally, you don’t need to remove paper labels from metal or aluminum cans before you chuck them in the recycling bin. When the cans are recycled, the heat applied to the metal burns away the paper and the adhesive, ensuring there’s no risk that your contributions might contaminate the batch.

However, there are other cases in which you might want to remove the paper labels before recycling. You can take these labels off your metal cans and toss them in with your paper recycling if you don’t like the idea of them turning to ash in the recycling process. More importantly, you do have to remove the paper labels if you’re recycling plastics, because the recycling process for metals and plastics is different.

When in doubt, it’s best to contact your local recycling facility. One Reddit user familiar with recycling facilities pointed out that, while the mechanics of recycling are important to understand, each recycling plant has its own unique machinery with different capabilities — they aren’t standardized so it’s not simple to give a one-size-fits-all answer.

Making a quick call to your local plant will ensure that you know what can and can’t be recycled, and what might contaminate a batch of recyclables.

What else should I do?Avoid puncturing aerosol cans to remove the remaining liquid.Make sure all paint is either dry or completely rinsed out before recycling. If you have leftover paint or other hazardous waste, take it to a drop-off center near you.Don’t crush aluminum cans before recycling because they can contaminate the batch. Recycling sorting machines also rely on shape to identify and crushing cans and other recyclables can trip them up.

For more recycling information, here’s how to properly recycle plastic and the right way to recycle paper and cardboard.

Metal recycling FAQs

What’s are the most important things to do before recycling metal cans?

Before you recycle metal cans, it’s important to rinse them out to remove any excess fluids within the can. This is to make sure that your can doesn’t contaminate the entire batch of recyclables. You can also remove the paper label but this isn’t necessary for metal cans.

When should I remove the paper label from my recyclables?

While it’s not necessary to remove the paper label from metal cans, you can still do so if you want to put the label in with the rest of your paper recyclables. You do have to remove the paper label from any plastic recyclables, as the plastic recycling process is different from the metal and aluminum recycling process.

How do I find the rules for recycling near me?

To find out the particular do’s and don’ts for recycling near you, contact your local recycling facility. Recycling plants aren’t standardized and each one has different equipment and capabilities. Finding out what the local plant can do will make your recyclable prep much easier.