Why are aluminum cans collected in The Shores?

Property owners in Woodland Shores enjoy paved streets throughout most of the neighborhood, but that wasn’t always the case. Many residents remember dirty, rocky roads that were hard on vehicle tires, and an ever-present source of dust that coated the interior of homes in The Shores. As most community action happens, paving of our neighborhood roads started when a couple of property owners got together and began problem solving.

The first roads were paid for by private donations, then later on proceeds from community-wide aluminum can recyclying were added to the road fund until–gradually over the years–most of the roads of Woodland Shores were paved. Money made from aluminum can recycling continues to help fund road work in our community, with residents dropping off cans at various collection points in The Shores where a hardy group of volunteers collects them and sees them through crushing, loading, transportation, delivery, and sale.

Here’s an account from Linda B. that gives some details about how aluminum cans have helped pave the way in Woodland Shores. Please speak up in the comments section (below) if you’d like to add any additional details about this important part of Woodland Shores history, or if you know someone who is a can volunteer that you’d like to see given a shout out of recognition and thanks.

Linda Bump remembers:

Mrs. Barnhart and Wanda Adams went house to house to see if people would donate money to pave their roads. Some people went together and donated money to have their roads paved while others waited till donations and fund raisers paved their roads. Not sure when the can collection was started but I know that when we came down in 2007 we started helping get the cans ready for the recycle center to come out and pick up the cans.

The cans were put in a building at the VanVoorhis lot on Muskogee Ave. Voluntary help was used to collect cans and get them ready to ship off. Many people, (too many to name), helped collect cans, crush cans, and load cans in the trailer. The recycling center provided the trailer and a driver to take the cans back to the center to have them recycled. At that time the cans were not crushed. It was decided that we could get more cans in the trailer if they were crushed, thus came the foot-crushing. Until the tornado this was done by volunteers.

After the tornado in 2011, the recycle company told us that we would have to furnish our own driver and trailer. The Bumps bought a trailer, and it was used to haul the foot-crushed cans till 2013 when Larry Harris and the Cave Guys designed and built the can crusher. The can crusher was moved up to the Woodland Shores Barn on Osage Ave. The trailer is still used to haul cans that have been crushed by the can crusher.

The cans have been taken to Joplin, Webb City, Tulsa, or White Oak to sell. They were taken to whichever recycle center paid the most for aluminum cans. Money that is collected from the sale of the cans goes for paving the Woodland Shores roads. From 10-25-11 to 10-6-21 the cans have brought in $14,101.55 after taking out for repairs of the can crusher and other repairs.