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Recycling cat food cans?

Started by Ed W, May 20, 2012, 04:07:20 PM

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Ed W

Yesterday, Number One Daughter took our aluminum can recycling bins down to the facility in Owasso.  The attendant said that they could no longer take cat food cans.  All other aluminum cans are OK, but not the ones that had cat food.  Now, I can understand this for the large size cans because they're steel, but do the little ones have steel rims or some other metal that can't be separated?

Inquiring minds want to know.
Ed

May you live in interesting times.

Hoss

Quote from: Ed W on May 20, 2012, 04:07:20 PM
Yesterday, Number One Daughter took our aluminum can recycling bins down to the facility in Owasso.  The attendant said that they could no longer take cat food cans.  All other aluminum cans are OK, but not the ones that had cat food.  Now, I can understand this for the large size cans because they're steel, but do the little ones have steel rims or some other metal that can't be separated?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Do they use the MET?  I know here recently they started allowing vegetable cans (typically steel) when they didn't previously.  I cannot see where there would be an issue with that.

Ed W

I don't know what the MET is, Hoss.
Ed

May you live in interesting times.

guido911

Quote from: Ed W on May 20, 2012, 05:04:59 PM
I don't know what the MET is, Hoss.

I think it's that worthless and BS organization headed up by some nobody in this forum.   ;D
Someone get Hoss a pacifier.

RecycleMichael

Thanks for the kudos.

Cat food cans are tricky. The local buyers of aluminum and steel don't like the cans, so they can be difficult.

Clean them well and flatten them and you should be OK. If a magnet sticks to them, they are steel, if not, they are probably aluminum. They can be recycled in either stream. Some cans are bi-metal (made with both) and they are causing recyclers across America recyclers the headaches. That is why you are having problems.

The Owasso center is part of our network, but it is the only one of 14 run by their city workers instead of M.e.t. workers. I helped build the center, including the trailer, the walkways and bought the oil tank, but I can't force them to do anything.

My best advice is to change brands to one that is steel. Take a magnet into the store with you and buy that package if possible.
Power is nothing till you use it.

guido911

Quote from: RecycleMichael on May 20, 2012, 07:15:00 PM
Thanks for the kudos.



No problem, you incompetent piece of crap. jk On a related note, I was just buying some cat food to feed some elderly shut ins that I know. Now I know what is recyclable. Thanks.
Someone get Hoss a pacifier.

Red Arrow

Quote from: guido911 on May 20, 2012, 08:05:05 PM
No problem, you incompetent piece of crap. jk On a related note, I was just buying some cat food to feed some elderly shut ins that I know. Now I know what is recyclable. Thanks.

Come on now.  At least buy them dog food. It doesn't smell nearly as bad.  Milkbones are actually not that bad.   ;D
 

TheTed

Quote from: RecycleMichael on May 20, 2012, 07:15:00 PM
Thanks for the kudos.

Cat food cans are tricky. The local buyers of aluminum and steel don't like the cans, so they can be difficult.

Clean them well and flatten them and you should be OK. If a magnet sticks to them, they are steel, if not, they are probably aluminum. They can be recycled in either stream. Some cans are bi-metal (made with both) and they are causing recyclers across America recyclers the headaches. That is why you are having problems.

The Owasso center is part of our network, but it is the only one of 14 run by their city workers instead of M.e.t. workers. I helped build the center, including the trailer, the walkways and bought the oil tank, but I can't force them to do anything.

My best advice is to change brands to one that is steel. Take a magnet into the store with you and buy that package if possible.

If I may ask another recycling question of you, what about plastics? I see from today's TW, where they listed all the things Tulsans can recycle in the new curbside recycling, it looks like quite a bit of plastics will be accepted.

Right now I'm just hoarding all my stacks of plastic containers (spinach containers, sprouts containers, various plastic food containers) and dropping them off when I travel to larger cities where they're accepted.

Will MET centers be accepting a wider range of plastics soon, or is there another place locally?
 

guido911

Quote from: Red Arrow on May 20, 2012, 08:13:10 PM
Come on now.  At least buy them dog food. It doesn't smell nearly as bad.  Milkbones are actually not that bad.   ;D

Seriously, who didn't at least try dog biscuits when they were a kid. I did.
Someone get Hoss a pacifier.

Red Arrow

Quote from: guido911 on May 20, 2012, 08:39:14 PM
Seriously, who didn't at least try dog biscuits when they were a kid. I did.

And they clean your teeth too.

;D
 

Conan71

Simple, we feed our critters dry food only.  Too bad the rest of you let your pets sucker you into thinking they needed something difficult to recycle.  ;)
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first" -Ronald Reagan

custosnox

Quote from: guido911 on May 20, 2012, 08:39:14 PM
Seriously, who didn't at least try dog biscuits when they were a kid. I did.
Never had a dog biscuit, but was several pieces of jerky into the package while reading the back before I actually found the word dog on it. 

RecycleMichael

Quote from: TheTed on May 20, 2012, 08:24:06 PM
Will MET centers be accepting a wider range of plastics soon, or is there another place locally?

Probably. I need to make sure they are actually being recycled before I take them.

In the past, many cities collected all plastics to just later throw out everything besides the regular bottles and jugs. They figured it was just easier to sort them out than to educate people to tell the difference.

I just don't know yet. I want to be sure. I am a little skeptical because the recycling company with the new contract also owns a landfill.
Power is nothing till you use it.

TheTed

Quote from: RecycleMichael on May 21, 2012, 08:50:44 AM
Probably. I need to make sure they are actually being recycled before I take them.

In the past, many cities collected all plastics to just later throw out everything besides the regular bottles and jugs. They figured it was just easier to sort them out than to educate people to tell the difference.

I just don't know yet. I want to be sure. I am a little skeptical because the recycling company with the new contract also owns a landfill.

Any updates on this subject?