Carbonated Soft Drinks Recycling Carbonated soft drink containers are accepted in your recycling container. Prep for Recycling Empty all contents from bottles or cans. Do NOT flatten or crush beverage containers. For glass bottles remove caps. Metal caps go in the recycling; mixed material and plastic caps go in the trash. Always keep labels on beverage containers to ensure CRV redemption. Do not stuff anything inside the beverage container! This can render it not recyclable. Athens accepts broken glass. Please place it in the recycle container. Leave Caps Attached to Plastic Bottles It’s OK to recycle caps and lids on plastic containers, as long as they are still attached to their original containers. Did You Know? How Much Energy Does Recycling Soda Cans Save? A single new soda can (made with virgin aluminum) uses the same amount of energy as twenty soda cans that are made from recycled material. Also, recycling one soda can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours. How Quickly Are Soda Cans Recycled? It only takes about 60 days for soda cans to make it back onto store shelves after they are recycled.