Food Cans

I just started this week scrapin, collecting steel food cans from businesses. The best places so far are Pizza establishments. They use #10 cans that have tomato sauce in them. they also use #5 cans that have mushrooms or artichokes in them. The empty weight of the #10 can is 11-12 oz's each and the #5 can weighs about 5-6 oz's. The Papa John's that I collected from today netted me 15 Lbs. It's a start. I won't get rich quick but, Rome wasn't built in a day and building a route takes time. I enjoy the leg work because it will pay off with patience and persistence.

Way to go Tex....try auto repair shops...their stuff is most often heavier. Good start.

Originally Posted by TexasUBC

I just started this week scrapin, collecting steel food cans from businesses. The best places so far are Pizza establishments. They use #10 cans that have tomato sauce in them. they also use #5 cans that have mushrooms or artichokes in them. The empty weight of the #10 can is 11-12 oz's each and the #5 can weighs about 5-6 oz's. The Papa John's that I collected from today netted me 15 Lbs. It's a start. I won't get rich quick but, Rome wasn't built in a day and building a route takes time. I enjoy the leg work because it will pay off with patience and persistence.

Are the cans cleaned out for you or do you have to do it?

Look at it this way...15 lbs a day x 5 days a week x 50 weeks a year (2 weeks down time) = 3750 lbs x .11/lb sheet iron price = over $400. Plus now you got a customer base going that could lead to resturant equipment hauls, employee's hauls from their private homes, hang a few flyers at the pizza joints for their customers eyes......that's how getting the word out is done....

Originally Posted by Victor

Are the cans cleaned out for you or do you have to do it?

Look at it this way...15 lbs a day x 5 days a week x 50 weeks a year (2 weeks down time) = 3750 lbs x .11/lb sheet iron price = over $400. Plus now you got a customer base going that could lead to resturant equipment hauls, employee's hauls from their private homes, hang a few flyers at the pizza joints for their customers eyes......that's how getting the word out is done....

I am asking them to please have them cleaned out. Ditto on the many ways to garner more business.

good idea! I would have never thought of this.

I get about 3 cases a couple of times a week. (18 cans). Thanks for weighing them. I figued 70$ a year or twice a week would be $140 a year @ .10 a lb. Plus I can dump some plastic by product scrap waste in there too.

I saved tin cans for a while. still do. I once had 2 39 gallon garbage bags full. I like to use them a space filler in the truck or throw a bunch in a washer or dryer. Or fill them with small peices of iron like washers or nuts and bolts. wash em out, because my raccoon friend likes to get in to them when i go to bed.

Originally Posted by Scrapette

Also caterers. Doesn't hurt to ask.

I spoke with a caterer on Tuesday and they do everything in prepackaged plastic bags (Frozen) or sealed foil pouches.

Originally Posted by Scrapette

Used to be a baker at Panera. They pitch a lot of aluminum pans a day. Bakeries at other places may have the same (?Walmart).

I will check them out.

This is a good steady and reliable income that will help you through the dry spells.
Good thinking batman!!!

Hubby saves food cans from work, he's a chef at a country club. I can always tell its him pulling in the drive with all the cans rolling around in back!! Only one out of 2 yards I go to take cans so I save up a bunch to take in plus what I use from home and mom saves for me too. Those big cans add up weight pretty quickly!

Save space. Use the opener to cut off the other side, then flatten the can. If you can sweet talk the pizza shop into doing it, your pickups will be less frequent, with a bigger pay off.

I used to take these to my yard but the quit taking them awhile back. Too many people were bringing dirty ones. It does add up though.

Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

Save space. Use the opener to cut off the other side, then flatten the can. If you can sweet talk the pizza shop into doing it, your pickups will be less frequent, with a bigger pay off.

That is a great way to save space and collect more but, getting them to wash the cans is a request from me whether they do it or not depends on them. I have already been informed by management, that would be an extra step to take the time to clean the cans instead of just tossing the can into the trash. Also, separating the cans into another bag or container, not to mention the extra space it would take up in their already cramped working area, is taking up valuable prep time. This is coming from an owner/manager concerned with productivity. I look at this way he(the owner) would have to train the employee to systematically wash and place the cans in a separate bin for me to collect at a later time. The owner/manager is paying the employee to be productive in his business, not to take the time to supply another business. I see his point and yet he doesn't see the benefit that would benefit from more space in his trash dumpster, reducing metal in the landfills, being a "green" business.

I need to come up with (a) benefit(s) that justifies the extra procedures to achieve both of our goals. Does anyone have suggestions or ideas on how to address this issue. Many of you have probably dealt or dealing with this objection when approaching businesses.

I can't think of any easy/reasonable solutions. I am somewhat surprised you even got them to agree to washing them out. That's why I said if you could sweet talk them into cutting them down as well, but as you pointed out, he is running a business/paying people to work in his business.

When I worked at Wendy's, I was amazed at how much we threw out. Mostly food, but we'd go through a lot of cans too. Never occurred to me to save them, but then I wasn't a scrapper yet. Did save some racks they tossed out though.

If you're a math nerd at all I suppose you could do a dumpster cost analysis. Figure out how much he saves per dumping if he keeps the cans out. Especially if this is an area that has high landfill fees. Some of the fees I have been seeing from other members just floor me.

Although if they're on a schedule and I imagine most are, then it's probably the same whether there is one bag or 50 in the dumpster.

Not sure how one would calculate that but I know it's being done.