How do I tell what type of metal (steel, tin, aluminum) my cans are?

I try to recycle everything but sometimes the labels on cans you buy at the store don’t tell what type of metal it’s made out of. How do I tell what metal these cans are made from? I don’t just want to throw them all in the “steel” bin. Can someone help me with this?

Actually, your cans are either aluminum or (tinned) steel. There are no actual “tin” cans. That term as used in modern times is short for “tinplate”, which is just steel sheet coated with tin.

The easy way to sort them is with a magnet: The ones that are attracted are the steel ones, and aluminum ones are not.

As an aside, tin is not regarded as being significantly toxic – at least not from cans. Along with bismuth, it’s one of the very few heavy metals that can claim this distinction.

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