CAN you tell that aluminum is SODA bad tinder for campfires? In fact, aluminum is used for its flame retardant properties. Therefore, putting cans in a fire ring is exactly what it looks like. Litter. But taken out of the context of being left in nature, aluminum is a really cool material. It is infinitely recyclable- meaning, if we continue to properly recycle these cans, that same material CAN make new cans with out losing quality with each new recycle process (unlike plastics). Photo: aluminum cans left behind after being put in a fire