How to dispose of a metal bottle cap collection?
July 31, 2022 12:18 PM Subscribe
I need to find a way to dispose of an old bottle metal cap collection. What's the smartest way to do this, in terms of making any money and/or recycling them properly?
My dad used to collect metal bottle caps and there's a large jar of them in my parents' basement. I think a lot of them are from the 70s and 80s, though there could be newer ones on top. We're getting the house ready to sell and want to dispose of these properly.
The following questions come to mind:
1) Are old bottle caps worth anything from a collector's perspective?
2) Does the metal itself have any value? Could we sell it somewhere?
3) If there's no money to be had, what's the most sustainable way to get rid of these? I don't want to dump them in recycling if it's going to clog up sorting machines, and I also hate to put so much metal in the trash.
My dad used to collect metal bottle caps and there's a large jar of them in my parents' basement. I think a lot of them are from the 70s and 80s, though there could be newer ones on top. We're getting the house ready to sell and want to dispose of these properly.
The following questions come to mind:
1) Are old bottle caps worth anything from a collector's perspective?
2) Does the metal itself have any value? Could we sell it somewhere?
3) If there's no money to be had, what's the most sustainable way to get rid of these? I don't want to dump them in recycling if it's going to clog up sorting machines, and I also hate to put so much metal in the trash.
Best answer: Um. If you decide not to sell them, I will pay for you to ship them to me. My brother in law is an artist and has been working on a piece that uses bottlecaps for YEARS now.
posted by cooker girl at 12:58 PM on July 31, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 12:58 PM on July 31, 2022 [15 favorites]
Response by poster: cooker girl, your BIL is welcome to them! I'll send you a message.
Thanks for the prompt and excellent information, rodlymight! But giving them to someone to make art sounds like the best possible use. :)
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 1:12 PM on July 31, 2022 [6 favorites]
Thanks for the prompt and excellent information, rodlymight! But giving them to someone to make art sounds like the best possible use. :)
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 1:12 PM on July 31, 2022 [6 favorites]
AMAZING!! I'll respond to your message, leftover_scrabble_rack and I'll try to get a photo of the piece in progress before this thread closes!
posted by cooker girl at 2:47 PM on July 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 2:47 PM on July 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
3) If there's no money to be had, what's the most sustainable way to get rid of these? I don't want to dump them in recycling if it's going to clog up sorting machines, and I also hate to put so much metal in the trash.Happy you found an artistic reuse for the bottlecaps. FYI: my town's waste department recycles bottle caps if you place a bunch in a larger steel soup or bean can and pinch the top shut. Individual bottle caps often fall through the recycling facility's automated sifters and get trashed. It's worth checking with whatever department/company collects your waste.
posted by JackBurden at 3:04 PM on July 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
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2) No… well, technically yes, but we're talking pennies on the pound.
3) They're recyclable most places. I wouldn't worry about the amount, any bar probably produces more than that on a nightly basis.
posted by rodlymight at 12:32 PM on July 31, 2022 [1 favorite]