The wonderful world of bicycle can crushers

[Arch]

An ingenious answer to a non existent problem. If you really need to crush your cans why not stamp on each can as you finish it

You'd think, wouldn't you. But very many of the people we collect from haven't thought of it. Or squashing plastic bottles. Then they wonder why their recycling box is full up, and they play the ingenious game of Recycling Buckaroo where they balance everything else on top, ready to fall off the minute you try and pick the box up....

Hence, we could do with a mass crushing solution (crushing each one as we collect would take too long), preferably human powered as we don't have electricity in our yard.

Besides, designing a machine like that helps to continue the skills of innovation and making, skills which are sadly getting lost as we rely on ready built electronic items.

 

[vernon]

An ingenious answer to a non existent problem. If you really need to crush your cans why not stamp on each can as you finish it

Not quite.

It's a complex solution to a simple problem.

 

[simon the viking]

Not quite.

It's a complex solution to a simple problem.

The simple problem is they were drinking far too many sugary unhealthy fizzy drinks

 

[Night Train]

An ingenious answer to a non existent problem. If you really need to crush your cans why not stamp on each can as you finish it

When I was with the local AmDram theatre group the day after the last night would be spent clearing up after a week's worth of shows. The bins would be full of cans and they would then need sorting and crushing to reduce the space.
The last time four of us stomped on each can individually before putting them back in the correct bins. It took hours to stomp on enough cans to fill 2 big wheelie bins when flattened and resulted in sore feet (aside from being splashed with stale beer, sticky cola and soggy cig butts).

Arch's collection round brings back around a cubic metre bag each of steel and aluminium drinks cans on each run hence a crusher/baler would be really useful.

'People' don't think far enough ahead, especially when drinking beer, to consider crushing the cans as they go.

 

[simon the viking]

When I was with the local AmDram theatre group the day after the last night would be spent clearing up after a week's worth of shows. The bins would be full of cans and they would then need sorting and crushing to reduce the space.
The last time four of us stomped on each can individually before putting them back in the correct bins. It took hours to stomp on enough cans to fill 2 big wheelie bins when flattened and resulted in sore feet (aside from being splashed with stale beer, sticky cola and soggy cig butts).

Arch's collection round brings back around a cubic metre bag each of steel and aluminium drinks cans on each run hence a crusher/baler would be really useful.

'People' don't think far enough ahead, especially when drinking beer, to consider crushing the cans as they go.

Yes an industrial crusher I can see a market for..... but any house that generates enough cans regularly to warrant a machine like that drinks too much alcohol/unhealthy fizzy drinks

 

[Arch]

On the other hand, some people 'get it'. When we introduced plastic bottles to the range of what we could collect a couple of years ago, we leafleted residents to let them know. I got talking to one little old lady and said "And if you can, it's great if you squash them a little to reduce the volume".

"oh yes!" she said, "I do that with cans. I stamp on them, it's a good way to channel anger!"