Throw your UBC uncrushed: Crushing an aluminium can before recycling makes sorting difficult

According to a recent media report, crushing or flattening aluminium cans before throwing it for recycling makes the sorting and recycling tougher for the recycling facilities.

As explained by Matt Meenan, the senior director of public affairs at the Aluminum Association, when a crushed can is put into the recycling loop it makes sorting difficult for the machines and it may contaminate other recyclable materials. A flattened aluminium can could be mistakenly sorted as paper and then it may end up contaminating paper recyclables.

“Crushed aluminium cans may fall through the spaces of the sorting equipment and either be lost entirely or improperly sorted,” he said.

However, this depends on the kind of recycling technology a plant has. The recycling facilities in the U.S. follow any of the two processes:

1. Single-stream recycling (where all recyclables are thrown in a single bin at the curb)
2. Multi- or dual-stream recycling (where recyclables are separated and thrown into different bins).

A multi- or dual-stream recycling process will recycle an aluminium can without a problem whether it is crushed or not. But, many American cities and nine of 10 large U.S. cities, according to a 2015 report have single stream recycling facilities.

This indicates that if a person is not sure about whether the can is going to a single stream or multi- or dual-stream recycling facility, it is advisable to throw the cans uncrushed. That makes sorting and recycling easier.