 Recycling metal
The following metal items can be recycled:
- Steel and tin cans e.g. pet food, baked beans and sardine cans etc
- aluminium drinks cans
- empty aerosol cans
- aluminium foil plates
How you can make a difference
 Rinse - there is no need to remove labels but it's important that cans and aluminium foil plates are clean.
Why - For health and safety reasons as there is a person on the truck who sorts all the items.
Metal containers may be stored for several weeks until there is sufficient quantity for transporting to manufacturers.
Dirty items, and food or liquid left in cans smell and attracts flies wasps and vermin.
Squash cans.
Why - Squashing helps reduce the amount of space they take up in the crate and the truck.
When squashed cans are less likely to be blown around and become litter.
Aerosol cans need to be empty and have their lids discarded. Place all items loose in the recycling crate.
Recycling Tips
Aluminium cans can be squashed to reduce the amount of space they take up in the crate and in the collection truck.
Lids of steel cans should be pushed into the clean can and the open end squashed together to prevent the lid falling out
Why - Because lids can be a litter problem and hard for the collectors to pick up with their protective safety gloves .
What happens to the metal when it is collected
Both aluminium and steel cans are sorted and baled for overseas markets by Resource Recycling Technologies – a local Christchurch company. The aluminium cans from Christchurch often go to Asian markets where they are recycled into other aluminium products. Steel cans are generally a lower grade product and are used to make things like fencing wire and reinforcing bars for the building industry.
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