You've probably looked at that empty Coke can and wondered if it's actually worth the effort of hauling it to a center. Most of us just toss them in the blue bin and forget about it. But if you’re sitting on a mountain of trash in your garage, the math starts to matter.
Honestly, the answer to how much is an aluminum soda can worth isn't a single number. It changes. It fluctuates based on where you live, what the global commodities market is doing in London, and whether your state has a "Bottle Bill."
If you're in a state like Michigan or Oregon, that can is a locked-in dime. Everywhere else? You’re at the mercy of the scrap yard.
The Scrap Value vs. The Deposit Value
There are two ways to get paid for your trash.
First, there’s the deposit return. This is the "easy" money. If you live in one of the ten U.S. states with container deposit laws (like California, New York, or Vermont), that can has a set legal value. Usually, it's 5 cents or 10 cents. You paid that nickel when you bought the soda, and you’re just getting your own money back.
Then there’s the scrap value. This is what most of the country deals with. Here, you aren't paid per can. You’re paid by the pound.
Scrap yards buy aluminum based on the "spot price" of the metal. If the price of aluminum is $1.00 per pound, and it takes about 32 to 35 standard 12-ounce cans to make a pound, you’re looking at roughly 3 cents per can.
Wait.
It’s usually less than that. Why? Because the scrap yard has to make a profit too. They won’t give you the full market rate. They’ll likely offer you 40 to 60 cents per pound.
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Why Aluminum Prices Move Like the Stock Market
Aluminum is a global commodity. It’s traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME).
When energy prices spike, aluminum prices usually go up because it takes a massive amount of electricity to smelt "virgin" aluminum from bauxite ore. Recycling an old can uses about 95% less energy than making a new one from scratch. That makes your trash incredibly valuable to companies like Alcoa or Novelis.
During the height of the supply chain chaos in 2022, scrap prices hit record highs. People were getting nearly 80 cents a pound in some regions. Currently, in early 2026, the market has leveled off.
The Weight Factor
Cans have actually gotten thinner over the decades. Back in the 1970s, it took about 22 cans to make a pound. Manufacturers, always looking to shave off a fraction of a cent in shipping costs, have "light-weighted" the design.
Today, you usually need about 34 cans to reach one pound.
If a yard is paying $0.45 per pound, each can is worth exactly $0.013.
One penny. Plus a third of another penny.
It sounds depressing when you put it that way. But for a high school club or a scout troop collecting thousands of them, that $0.45 per pound adds up to real money.
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The "Bottle Bill" States: Where the Money Is
If you want to know how much is an aluminum soda can worth in a place like Michigan, the answer is a flat 10 cents.
Michigan and Oregon are the gold standards for recycling. They have a 90% return rate because people don't like losing a dime.
- California: 5 cents (under 24oz), 10 cents (over 24oz)
- Connecticut: 10 cents
- Hawaii: 5 cents
- Iowa: 5 cents
- Maine: 5 cents
- Massachusetts: 5 cents
- Michigan: 10 cents
- New York: 5 cents
- Oregon: 10 cents
- Vermont: 5 cents
If you try to take cans from a non-deposit state (like Ohio) into a deposit state (like Michigan) to claim the 10 cents, you are technically committing fraud. It was the plot of a famous Seinfeld episode, and in real life, states have cracked down on this with heavy fines and even jail time.
How to Get the Best Price at a Scrap Yard
Don't just show up with a random bag of uncrushed cans and expect the red carpet treatment. Scrap yards are busy, industrial places.
Keep it clean. If your cans are filled with old soda, cigarette butts, or dirt, the yard will "dock" your weight. They aren't paying for sugar water; they want metal. Rinse them if they’re gross.
Crush or No Crush?
This is a huge debate. Some automated recycling centers in "Bottle Bill" states require the cans to be uncrushed so the machine can scan the barcode. However, if you are going to a traditional scrap yard, crushing is better. It saves space in your truck and makes it easier for them to weigh in bulk.
Check the magnets.
Aluminum is non-ferrous. It won't stick to a magnet. If you have steel cans (like soup cans) mixed in, the scrap yard will pay you the "iron" rate, which is significantly lower—often just pennies per pound. Run a magnet over your haul before you leave the house.
Is It Worth the Gas Money?
Let's be real for a second.
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If you have two bags of cans, that's maybe three pounds of aluminum. At 50 cents a pound, you’re making $1.50. If the scrap yard is 10 miles away, you might actually spend more on gas than the cans are worth.
Recycling for profit only works at scale. You need a dedicated storage spot—a garage or a shed—where you can let the bags pile up until you have 50 or 100 pounds. At that point, a $50 payday feels a lot more satisfying than a handful of quarters.
The Environmental "Hidden" Value
Even if the cash value is low, the "value" to the planet is massive.
An aluminum can can be recycled, melted down, and put back on a grocery store shelf as a brand-new can in as little as 60 days. It is the only packaging material that is "infinitely" recyclable. Plastic degrades every time you melt it. Paper fibers get shorter and weaker. But aluminum? It stays aluminum forever.
Every time you recycle a can, you’re saving enough energy to run a TV for about three hours.
Actionable Steps for Cashing In
If you want to maximize what you get for your aluminum, follow this checklist.
- Identify your state status. If you’re in a 10-cent state, go to the grocery store return machines. It’s the highest ROI you’ll get.
- Use an app like iScrap. This app lets users report what local scrap yards are actually paying in real-time. Prices change daily based on the market.
- Separate your metals. Never mix your soda cans with copper piping or brass fittings from a home renovation. Keep the "UBC" (Used Beverage Cans) in their own category to ensure you get the specific UBC rate.
- Wait for the peak. Commodities prices often dip in the winter and rise in the summer when construction and manufacturing pick up. If you have the space, hold your haul until prices tick up.
- Calculate the "Net." Subtract your fuel costs and your time. If it takes you four hours to process $10 worth of cans, you’re working for $2.50 an hour. Use recycling as a way to teach kids about money or as a "bonus" fund for a hobby, rather than a primary income stream.
The reality of how much is an aluminum soda can worth is that for most people, it's about $0.01 to $0.02 in metal or $0.05 to $0.10 in government-mandated deposits. It won't make you rich, but it’s literally money lying on the ground.
Collect, crush, and weigh. That's the only way to turn trash into a tank of gas.