Getting started

Interested in raising money by collecting aluminium cans? Here's how to get started, with some handy tips to making your haul as big as possible!

It’s easy to get started – just follow these four simple steps!

  1. Contact your local cash from cans dealer
    (a list can be found here).
  2. Enlist supporters
    Ask your friends, and, if you’re collecting for charity, enlist local schools, businesses and shops to collect cans for you.
  3. Bring your cans to your local centre
    They will give you 40-50 pence for each kilogram of cans. (A kilo is usually 65-70 cans.)
  4. Keep records of how much you’ve collected and how much money it’s raised
    It’s a great way to get motivated to do more!

Tips:

  • Only aluminium cans are worth cash: look out for the ‘alu’ symbol.
  • If the can doesn’t say what it’s made of, test the side with a magnet. Aluminium is NOT magnetic, so the magnet won’t stick.
  • Remember aluminium cans are lighter than steel cans, as well as shinier, and do not rust.
  • Save space by squashing your cans.
  • If there’s a group collecting for a common cause, set up central collection points where people can drop off their bags of cans.
  • To get more people involved, spread your message far and wide by telling the local papers what you’re doing. Don’t forget to update them!
  • If you’ve got supporters collecting on behalf of your cause, make sure you update them regularly to tell them how the scheme is doing and remind them to do more.