Before sending all of your beer or soda cans to the recycling center, you may want to see some ways they could be useful. Because aluminum cans are so abundant, especially on Mondays, many people have found creative ways to give them new life. From art to clothing to housing, nothing seems impossible after the last drop of beer has been consumed.
Houses Constructed Using Old Beer Cans
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Some people have built and furnished their homes using empty beer cans. An interesting form of aluminum siding is created by using flattened cans applied in an overlapping scale pattern. Other wall designs rely on uncrushed cans. Decorative elements are added by creative arrangement of the cans or by cutting the cans into workable shapes for specific purposes.
Recycled Can Wall Art and Wall Covering
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Used beer cans were beautifully repurposed into this butterfly spiral wall art. Others have used a more direct approach and used flattened special edition beer cans as wallpaper. Beer can collectors also enjoy using the uncrushed cans as a wallcovering that doubles as a unique display.
We Didn’t Think of it First
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They may have not known about global warming or the urgency of living a greener lifestyle back in the 1960s, but these people were already hip to recycling beer cans. John Milkovisch used more than 50,000 empty beer cans to build his home in Houston. His “Beer Can House” underwent a seven-year restoration and is now open to the public.
Recycled Beer Can Home Decor
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Here you can see even more practical uses for used beer cans. Beautiful luminaries and votive holders can be made by carefully cutting cans down and cutting out shapes for light to shine through. At one of the homes that has beer can siding, matching accents dress up the patio and deck.
Wearable Recycled Aluminum Cans
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Wearing used beer cans may be less about a practical purpose than it is about quirky fun. After the beer is gone, the ultimate party hat can be made for the next time. Others have taken wearable recyclable art to a whole new level with gowns, jackets and shoes.
Beer Can Boats
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Boats have been made from used beer cans by using silicon to hold the cans together and seal out water. Brad Gillam, Rob Meharg and Chris Taylor used approximately 8,000 gold beer cans to build their boat and sailed from from Ipswich to Brisbane, Australia in it. The successful voyage helped raise almost $60,000 for the SIDS and Kids foundation in memory of Gillam’s infant daughter, who died while the craft was being built.
Art and Novelty Creations
While some used beer can creations can have a practical use, others serve merely to amuse (or amaze) us. From dinosaurs to cathedrals to tiny vehicles, the only limit seems to be the artist’s imagination. When this weekend is over, will your empties go to the recycling center or could you think of a better use for them?

