If you think recycling is too time-consuming to do safely, think again. TikToker Alaska Waste (@Alaskawaste) provides a 10-second demonstration on how anyone can safely recycle metal cans by taking those sharp lids and securing them inside the can.
The Scoop
In the video, the OP demonstrates that keeping the sharp lid inside is as simple as smashing the can down afterward using just your hands. When they flip the squashed can upside down, the lid doesn't fall out.
@alaskawaste 10-Second Tip: Recycle your can lids safely! Yes, lids are recyclable. Secure them in the can and help protest workers who handle the material! #lifehacks #alaskalife #alaskawaste ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim
Your efforts in smashing lids inside these cans won't be in vain. As the video caption states, "Recycle your can lids safely! Yes, lids are recyclable. Secure them in the can and help [protect] workers who handle the material!"
For proper recycling, place the can in a separate bin for your community curbside recycling day. If you're unsure when that day is or the location of a recycling center that accepts aluminum or steel cans, check the Earth911 website.
How It's Helping
If you've ever cut your finger on those sharp metal can lids, then you can likely imagine what the workers who have to manually sort them at times during the recycling process have to endure.
Plus, the lids' small size can hinder them from being sorted — causing them to get lost in the machines and potentially create a jam. A clogged machine stops the recycling process until workers can fix it. If the machine breaks, it can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to replace.
Most food cans come from steel, a material you can recycle indefinitely without losing its core properties. When you recycle them or cans made from aluminum, you're keeping an extensive lifecycle going, as 75% of all aluminum produced on the planet is still in use today, according to the International Aluminium Association.
When you put an empty food or beverage aluminum can in the trash instead of recycling it, it can take 200 to 500 years to break down in a landfill.
This quick and easy hack can reduce landfill waste and prevent pollution from seeping into groundwater and oceans.
🗣️ What confuses you most about recycling protocol?
🔘 Which materials I can recycle 📦
🔘 How clean the material needs to be 🧼
🔘 What the plastic numbers mean ♻️
🔘 Nothing at all 😇
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What Everyone's Saying
Commenters on the post all appreciated the tip.
"Thank you," wrote one.
"Love this," commented another, while one more simply said, "This is great."
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