5 Things To Do with Aluminium Cans
Updated: Mar. 20, 2019
Aluminium cans have been around for many years, used by food companies to package their products and beverages. But what can you do with them once they’re empty? Click through for ideas on how to turn aluminum cans into handy gardening tools, decorations, and more!
The aluminum can gained mass appeal around 1967, when Pepsi and Coca Cola started using them for packaging.
Protect Young Plants
Remove both ends of an aluminium can, then push it into the earth to serve as a collar to protect young garden plants from cutworms. You can also use a soup can or a coffee can, depending on the size you need. Remove any paper label.
Create a Decorative Snowman
Wrap an old soft-drink can with white paper and tape with transparent tape. For a head use a polystyrene foam ball and tape it to the top of the can. Cover the body with cotton batting or cotton bandaging material and tape or glue it into place. Make a cone-shaped paper hat. Make eyes and a nose with buttons. To add arms, punch holes into the sides of the can and insert twigs. Use dots from a black marker pen to make buttons down the snowman’s front, then make a scarf of woolly fabric.
Create a Simple Chinese Lantern
Mark two lines around a clean empty can, about 2.5cm from the top and bottom. With a sharp craft knife, make vertical cuts about 1.5cm apart between the lines. Make a cut across the bottom of two adjacent strips to make an opening for a candle. Gently press down on the can to make the strips bend in the middle. Insert a tea-light through the opening, then tuck the cut ends of the opening strips inside the can. Finally attach a hanging loop. You can also spray paint the can before cutting if you like to make lanterns in different colours.
Make Planters More Portable
Don’t strain your back moving a planter loaded with heavy soil. Reduce the amount of soil and lighten the load by first filling one-third to one-half of the bottom of the planter with empty, upside-down aluminium cans. Finish filling with soil and add your plants. In addition to making the planter lighter, the rustproof aluminium cans also help it to drain well.
Make Repoussé Christmas Decorations
Use a craft knife or old scissors to cut the top and bottom from empty cans, then slit the cylinder to create a flat piece. Cut simple shapes, such as stars or circles, and use a ballpoint pen to draw designs on the wrong side. Decorate with stick-on jewels or transparent glass paint, if desired, then add a wire for hanging.
