Our History

Collect-a-Can (Pty) Ltd was established in 1993 to focus on the promotion of the recovery and recycling of used beverage cans (UBC) and other steel packaging in southern Africa.

The beverage can has become part of the world's way of life.

Growing demand has brought constant improvement.  From its beginnings as a large, cumbersome box to the lightweight, easily opened, environmentally friendly package we know today, the can has evolved through many stages.

Growing concern for the environment inspired the retained-tab easy opening end. Also significant was the water-based internal spray coating that makes the can compatible with more and more different beverages.

The weight of the can has also been reduced substantially – contributing to further environmental benefits:
fewer raw materials are used and the negative environmental impact of transport is reduced as a result of the lighter packaging.

Can making history: Who invented cans?

In France

The year was 1795 and Napoleon Bonaparte's armies were taking Europe by storm. Their success depended not only upon military brilliance, but also on the ability to sustain themselfs.  Napoleon recognised the need to provide his soldiers with adequate nourishment.  He offered a reward to whoever could devise a way of preserving food supplies for his armies in the field.

A chef, Nicholas Appert, won with his glass bottles and jars.  Once filled with meat, fruit or vegetables they were sealed with corks and heated in hot water.  However, a less vulnerable form of packaging needed to be found.

In England

England swiftly refined the method, being the first to use a tin canister in the form of iron boxes by 1812. Heavy and difficult to open, they were capable of preserving food for a long time. In 1938 a can of veal, packed in 1824 was opened and found to be in excellent condition!

Until the early 1930s beverages were traditionally preserved and transported in glass or ceramic containers. A range of seals were used:

• Marbles
• Corks with wire attachments
• Rubber ringed ceramic stoppers
• Metal caps threaded with wire

In America

The Americans quickly saw the advantages of the can and by the mid-1930s they were canning beer. The American Can Company produced the first beer can, which was cone-shaped with a waxed internal coating and metal crown.

The next developments aimed to improve product shelf life. The United States armed forces, at war with Japan and Germany were keenly interested and contributed to technology advantages. Due to poor economic conditions, however, development halted abruptly with the onset of the Korean War.

Can making history: What did the first can look like?

THE 3-PIECE CAN

It did not take long before the can became acknowledged as the best way to store food and liquids, in particular carbonated drinks such as beer and cold drinks. The flat topped, three piece can, made from a rectangle of printed tinplate, edges joined by soldering, replaced its cone-shaped predecessor.

The cylinder was flanged to accommodate a curled end with rubberised lining compound. The fillers would fill the can and seal the end. In the mid-60s research got back on track. New legislation prohibited lead in food packaging and lead-tin solder was replaced by 100% tin. The flat-topped can yielded to the ring-pull easy-open aluminium end, and a welded seam replaced the soldered sidewall. This ushered in a larger printing area and faster production lines. In South Africa, the first beverage to be canned was beer, followed in the 70s by soft drinks such as Groovy.

The early cans were all 3-piece, at first soldered and later welded. At that time there were 175ml, 340ml and 450ml cans.
 
THE 2-PIECE CAN

The mid 1970s saw a breakthrough in the USA with the two-piece, steel, drawn and wall-ironed can used today. With only one double seam at the top, production speeds have soared to 1500 cans per minute from a single line.

NECKED CANS

In the 1970s material-saving technologies advanced rapidly and necked-in cans were introduced. This reduced the diameter of the can's top end, saving on expensive aluminium.  The necked-in top also makes stacking easier as the bottom of one can fits snugly into the top of another.

OPENING DEVICES

Force and a chisel were needed to open the original iron canisters. Later the 3-piece can opened with a spanner or tin opener. The removable ring-pull end made it easy but caused litter. In a society now driven by ecological imperatives, South African Bevcan’s “Tidy Top” innovation is the most convenient of all, eliminating litter problems as the tear-tab remains attached to the can top.