Column: The delicious history of the tin can
By Amanda Haffele
Tin cans have revolutionized the way we eat and preserve food. But who came up with the idea of food preservation, and why?
It all began in 1795, when Napoleon Bonaparte offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent a method to preserve food for France’s armed forces.
A jack-of-all-trades and former candymaker, winemaker, chef, brewer and pickle maker, Nicolas Appert toyed with the idea for 15 years before he came up with preservation by sterilization.
Similar to today, he sterilized food by boiling it in glass jars, only he sealed the jars with a cork. The sterilized foods were sent along with the navy for four months to test their effectiveness: Appert successfully found a way to preserve food.
Even though Appert didn’t use tin cans he is credited as being the “father of canning.”
Later that same year an Englishman, who intended to surpass Appert, fashioned containers out of tinplate. These containers were tin-plated, wrought-iron cylindrical canisters with a soldered lid. The tin was used to prevent the iron from rusting and corroding.
To open these cans one would use a chisel and hammer. At the time, even the most skilled blacksmith could only produce about five cans per day. Today, about 400 cans can be manufactured in one minute.
Tin cans were introduced to the United States in 1818. They became widely popular in the 1820s when two New Yorkers were “awarded the U.S. patent for preserving food in ‘vessels of tin’ by President James Monroe in 1825,” according to the Can Manufacturers Institute.
The Civil War is what really paved the way for tin cans because soldiers relied on rations packaged in tin. By the war’s end in 1865, the can opener was invented making canned goods a staple in soldier’s homes. The war’s demand for metal also resulted in thinner, lighter cans. They found they could use less tin and steel and still make a sturdy container.
By the end of the Civil War, tin can production was up from 5 million a year to 30 million.
Tin cans were once again tailored to use less metal during World War II. This is also around the time that polymer (plastic) coatings were introduced. Over the years polymer coatings have “contributed to better can integrity, shelf-life and resistance to corrosion,” according to CMI. More steel was used in lieu of tin in tin cans, and eventually they became all steel.
Over time manufactured cans became lighter and lighter. Today’s cans are actually 33 percent lighter than 25 years ago. But it wasn’t until 2004 when the next big innovation was introduced: the easy-open lid that removes the need for a can opener.
Aerosol Cans
The concept of aerosol cans originated in France as early as the 1790s. Just like tin cans, they were big and bulky and not commercially successful.
It wasn’t until 1927, when Norwegian engineer Erik Rotheim patented the first aerosol can and valve that could hold and dispense products, this is the forerunner to the containers we know and use today.
Fast forward to World War II when fluorocarbons were used as a propellant. This new propellant allowed serviceman to carry portable cans to spray for malaria carrying bugs. In the mid-1970s, fluorocarbons were substituted for water-soluble hydrocarbons, creating an environmentally friendly container.
Last but not least, spray paint was invented by Edward Seymour in 1949. The first color? Aluminum.
Recycling Cans
Steel or tin cans are recyclable in your curbside bin. Labels do not need to be removed, but the top of the can needs to be nestled into the can and the top crimped shut prior to recycling it. If not, the flat lid of the can will act like paper in our recycling stream and not get recycled.
Aerosol cans, on the other hand, are not recyclable due to their pressurized nature. Even if we believe they’re empty, they can cause safety issues at our facility. I can attest to almost being hit by a zooming “empty” aerosol can that had been punctured. Aerosol cans that are punctured may be recycled with scrap metal.
Last year, Portage County residents recycled more than 37 tons or 174,000 pounds of steel cans. Recycling one ton of steel cuts the CO2 emissions 80 percent over producing virgin steel. Each ton of steel conserves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, 120 pounds of limestone, 6 gallons of oil, 10.9 million BTUs of energy, and 4 cubic feet of landfill space. Whew!
Lastly, we’re hosting a free electronic and small appliance recycling event on October 12 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Enter the event off Twin Towers Road. Visit our website or give us a call to learn more.
As always, if you have any questions give us a call at (715) 343-6297, or visit us online at www.co.portage.wi.us/department/solidwaste.
Amanda Haffele is the solid waste director for Portage County.