Using Steel Packaging Saves Tax Dollars

Using steel packaging saves taxpayers and consumers money in so many ways. For decades, steel cans have been used in food preservation and to extend the harvest. Hermetic tin cans minimize food waste and keeping food free from the elements that cause spoilage, such as air, light, moisture and contaminants. But it doesn't end there.

There are so many claims of recyclability that don't tell you the rest of the story. Even plastics, glass and paper that are recyclable cause problems and add to the cost of recycling.

In addition to sorting for items that cannot be recycled, as a result of consumer confusion, there are so many other factors.

Sorters at recycling facilities remove items such as plastic bags, food containers, glass that is too broken, certain types of plastic not accepted by the facility, and other materials that contaminate the recycling stream and disrupt the sorting process. The additional labor gets passed on to taxpayers.

Key points about what sorters remove: 

Contaminants:

• plastic wrap, paper or corrugated contaminated by food  
• composite packaging with poly barriers and combination materials

Items that can damage machinery:

• Large pieces of certain kinds of metal, broken glass, or tangled items that create jams 
• Small cosmetic containers

Improperly prepared items:

• Items that need additional processing before recycling, like plastic bottles with lids and plastic rings still attached. 
• Items with shrink-wrapped labels

There is no confusion about recycling steel. Tin packaging recycles, curbside in all 50 states. There is no need to rinse or remove labels. Inks, coatings, and labels all burn off in the recycling process. The biggest advantage and cost savings comes from magnetic separation from other items in the waste stream! No manual sorting required. Recycling steel also saves on energy and raw materials used to make new steel. Each can contains between 25% and 60% recycled steel.