Don't let them go to waste
What can you do with your used soda cans? pop cans? beer cans? What are your choices? Think your have two options: trash it or recycle it? I assure you, there are many more options than that. People worldwide are using aluminum cans in creative and amazing ways. Find out how to release the potential that lies within a used soda can.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle. With aluminum cans too RECYCLE is too often limited to cans with a deposit, and REUSE is forgotten altogether.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle. With aluminum cans too RECYCLE is too often limited to cans with a deposit, and REUSE is forgotten altogether.
Make a Christmas Tree
Mountain Dew with its green and red colors, are perfect for a Christmas Tree. Check out this amazing Mountain Dew Tree, which has its own myspace page. Standing at six feet tall, it is comprised of about 400 Mountain Dew Cans, and one 2 liter bottle.
Run Your Car on Hydrogen
Okay, so not really practical, and not a project for the average person. But, hey, if you are the science experiment type, then give it a whirl.
- Run Your Car on Hydrogen from Aluminum Soda Cans and Lye
- James Burgett of computer recycling fame shows me his test setup at ACCRC for running his Lincoln on aluminum soda cans. They threw this rig together quickly to test the concept. The concept works.
What do you do?
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Project Ideas
Aluminum Can Craft Ideas
This site has some of the most amazing aluminum can projects that are within the range of possibility for most crafters. Included in three e-books are step-by-step directions on making hundreds of wreaths, ornaments, centerpieces, floral arrangements, handbags, baskets, wall art, and more.Several samples projects are provided for free on the site such as Easter Lilies, Fireworks, and Star Ornament, among others.
Aluminous Publishing's Aluminum Can Craft E-books
Recycle aluminum soda beverage cans to wreaths, baskets, Christmas ornaments, wall hangings, pull-tabs purses with full-size patterns, pictures and instructions. Download, recycle and create.
Make a Soda Can Hat
Knit an aluminum can hat
Learn to make your own aluminum can hat from the Tin Can Alley. They have a tutorial for two styles of hats, a bag and a tissue cozy! Apparently there is a long tradition of this handicraft.
Another pattern is available at knit1mag.com
If you are not one to crochet, then you may want to pick up one of these hats:
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Soda Can Sculpture
Use soda cans in a sculpture whether small or grand. These are a few examples of talented use of this aluminum medium.
This gallery shows many other talented sculptures as well.
Aluminum Can Fact:
You can make 20 recycled aluminum cans with the energy it takes to make one new aluminum can from bauxite ore.(Community Recycling, Belington, Washington)
Cover Your House with Aluminum (Can) Siding
A new whole new take on aluminum siding
Architect Richard Van Os Keuls, a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, has put up new aluminum siding on his house. Well, the siding is new, the aluminum is not. In fact, it's not really "siding", it actually covered in aluminum can shingles...flattened beer and soda cans laid over each other, covering the exterior of his house.- Van Os Keuls - Innovative building materials from everyday tin cans: eco-artware Recycling Rag Newsletter
- Richard Van Os Keuls' Soda Can Covered House
- Van Os Keuls - Innovative building materials from everyday tin cans: eco-artware Recycling Rag Newsletter
- Richard Van Os Keuls' Soda Can Covered House
- Washington Post Article on Van Os Keuls House
- Drinks on the House - When the Root Beer Is Gone, the Can Lives On
Make a Pop Can Stove
A backpacker's handy burner
Build your own stove with just two soda cans and a few common tools. Being lightweight and cheap, this is a great item for backpackers and campers.
Learn more about the stove at this lens: Pepsi Can Stove. Graphics showing the physics of these is available at wikipedia.
Learn more about the stove at this lens: Pepsi Can Stove. Graphics showing the physics of these is available at wikipedia.
Lotus Flower Tealight
- Lotus Tealight made from an Iced Tea Can
From the Craft Chi Blog, Amy Ybarra Murphy gives instructions and a pattern to make a beautiful lotus flower tealight holder out of an Arizona Iced tea can (or any other can).
Make a Shark
- Tesscar Aluminum Craft -- Recycle your favorite beverage can into a work of art!
Recycle aluminum cans into this adorable shark.
Free instructions available.
Incentive?
Despite the fact that the deposit system used in some states includes only carbonated drinks, and therefore excludes canned lemonade, iced tea, bottled water, etc., do you think that the system of paying a deposit is appropriate.
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Pop Top Purse or Belt
Donate Them
A nickel may not mean very much to you, but it means a lot to some.
Many local boy scout troops collect soda cans for fund raising.
-or-
Donate your aluminum cans to Habitat for Humanity:
Many local boy scout troops collect soda cans for fund raising.
-or-
Donate your aluminum cans to Habitat for Humanity:
- CansForHabitat.org
- Cans for Habitat is a partnership between The Aluminum Association and Habitat for Humanity International that promotes the value of aluminum can recycling. Through Cans for Habitat, aluminum cans are recycled to raise money for Habitat for Humanity to build decent, affordable housing with low-income families nationwide. Established in 1997, the program now boasts more than 1,000 member affiliates and 3,000 participating recyclers.
Photos of More Great Uses for Aluminum Cans
Components for a foundation
Aluminum art hanging
A wall of soda cans
Beautiful!
Can sculpture in Athens; Photo by Stephanie Costa
Mosaic Mirror by Leslie F. Miller
Aluminum Can Fact:
An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now.
An recycled aluminum can be made into a new aluminum can in as little as 60 days, and then be recycled again over and over.
Make an Airplane
- How to Build a Model Airplane out of Beer Cans
- Here is the actual pattern for the airplane shown in the photo to the right.
- Do it yourself: make your own soda can airplane
- Aluminum soda cans can be used in crafts; instead of recycling them all, why not use some to make a model? Find out how to make your own airplane with these step-by-step instructions.
- SODACAN AIRPLANES
- SODACAN (soda can) AIRPLANES AND BEER CAN (beercan) AIRPLANE MODEL KIT
Make 'Em Dance
Become a better videographer by directing your very own soda can stop motion animation. Very Sesame Street; very cool.
Pop Canz
The Can Dance
Coke Can Dance
More Ideas
- Soda Tab Chain - Instructables - DIY
- How to build a super-cool chain out of soda tabs.
- Recycle Cans into Ashtrays/Votive Holders
- Create a simle yet beautiful ashtray, candy dish or votive holder. Another idea would be to make a wax potpourri burner by taking the top off one can and cutting pieces out of the sides (for smoke), then place one of these trays on top to melt a was potpourri tart.
- Canned Heat: Solar Heater Built With Soda Cans
- Some of the highest technology in the world is being brought to bear on the problem of saving energy.
- CRAFTS : Natural & Homemade : Soda Can Art
- Transform soft drink cans into purses, jewelry and decorator accents with this how-to from B. Original host Michele Beschen.
- Recycled Pull Tabs - Ecoist Accessories
- handbags
- Pop Can Framed Mirror
- Build a beautiful framed mirror.
- Heat your garage
- Create a soda can solar furnace to heat your garage.
- Build a car, ship, truck or other vehicle
- Recycle aluminum cans of your favorite beer or soda into works of art with TESSCAR ALUMINUM CRAFT construction plans. Build models of aircraft, race cars, trucks, locomotives, farm and construction equipment, ships, motorcycles and insects using templates and instructions.
Recycle
Recycle Recycle Recycle
If you don't think that any of these projects are for you, or that you simply won't get to them, then the very least you can do is recycle your cans. Whether your state has a deposit system or not, recycling aluminum cans may be more important than you realized.These are just a few reason why you should recycle your cans:
- The mining, processing, and manufacturing necessary to produce aluminum cans are responsible for large quantities of toxic solid wastes, the widespread destruction of wildlife habitat, and the displacement hundreds of thousands of indigenous people around the world. (Container Recycling Institute, 2002)
- The energy needed to replace all the aluminum cans wasted each year is equivalent to 16 million barrels of oil-enough to keep a million American cars on the road for a year. (Container Recycling Institute, 2001)
- A recycled six-pack of aluminum cans could save enough energy to drive a car five miles. One can equals the amount of energy a can half-full of gasoline would produce. (San Diego County Office of Education 1991. RAYS - Recycle and You Save.)
- Americans throw away enough aluminum cans to rebuild our commercial air fleet every three months, and enough iron and steel to supply all our nation's automakers every day. (cleanair.org)
- Aluminum cans comprise only 1.4% of a ton of garbage by weight, but they account for 14.1% of the greenhouse gas impacts of replacing an average ton of garbage with new products made from virgin materials. (Container Recycling Institute, 2001)
Reusing Other Household Items
If you are interesting in reusing household items in fun and creative ways, then this is the place to go! This group has thousands of ideas on reusing item. Go Green!
Guestbook
Please let us know what you are up to with your aluminum cans. Do you know any interesting or amazing projects that we haven't yet discovered?
janices7 wrote...
Great lens with so many creative ideas - personally I just recycle them, but some of these projects would be fun if I actually had time to be crafty. 5*!
Posted June 22, 2009
GreenBeansNstrings wrote...
Great lens! The shark is so cute but I love the pop top purses!
Posted June 15, 2009
researcher1 wrote...
Crafty ideas but covering your house! I just don't know about that!
Posted June 14, 2009
Tiddledeewinks wrote...
Some great recycling ideas! I love the house siding. 5 *'s
Posted June 05, 2009
HomemadeSolarPanels wrote...
Dude, that is crazy. I am totally for the environment so kudos on your lens! I have been thinking about making a pop-top wristband myself.
Posted June 01, 2009
