NATIONAL CRUSH A CAN DAY – September 27, 2026

History of NATIONAL CRUSH A CAN DAY

The history of the can dates back all the way to 1795 when Napoleon offered a grand prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent a method to preserve perishable food for army and navy use. Centuries earlier, the ancients preserved their food by traditional methods like salting and drying. In 1809, French confectioner and brewer Nicolas Appert invented a method of preserving food in airtight bottles and glass jars. In 1810, British inventor and merchant Peter Durand patented his own method of using tin-coated iron cans, and by 1813, he was supplying large quantities of canned food to the Royal Navy.

While Appert’s invention laid the groundwork for canning, Durand is credited for creating the modern-day food canning process. In the U.S., Thomas Kensett and Ezra Daggett patented the use of tin plates in 1825 and sold canned meats, fruits, and vegetables. By the 1860s, can-making became mechanized, but it was not until 1938 that the first canned soft drink, Clicquot Club ginger ale appeared in markets. By 1967, Coca-Cola and Pepsi popularized the use of lighter, rust-resistant and recyclable aluminum beverage cans, earlier manufactured by Reynolds Metals Company in 1963 to package a diet cola called ‘Slenderella.’

Although recycling was not initially widespread, the first aluminum can recycling plants were already in operation in Chicago as of 1904. By 1970, the year that coincided with the inaugural Earth Day, recycling steel and aluminum cans became more popular and widely accepted, especially with the country-wide proliferation of buy-back centers exchanging returned cans for money.

Manufacturing an aluminum can from recycled cans consumes 95% less energy and produces 90% fewer emissions compared to producing that same can from raw materials. So remember to keep our planet clean and recycle your cans always!