If you drink carbonated beverages, which are better, plastic bottles or aluminum cans? The answer is simple: aluminum cans. According to the EPA, aluminum cans are one of the most commonly recyclable materials today. In less than 60 days, a typical soda can goes from the supermarket to the recycling bin to the recycling facility and back to the shelf as a new can. This recycling process can be done indefinitely because aluminum is durable, unlike plastic, which can be recycled only a few times before being sent to the landfill.