If this idea's already baked I won't be surprised, but here goes. Canned foods more often than not need to be refrigerated after opening if you don't use them right away, but you still need to cover them with something (like that cling wrap). Why not figure out a way to reseal them, maybe with a lid like the ones on tennis ball cans? This could help keep cans of pop from going flat, too.
-- AfroAssault, Apr 27 2001

I vaguely recall seeing this somewhere, but I have alzheimer's from consuming things that have been stored in open cans for too long, so I can't remember....
-- globaltourniquet, Apr 27 2001


There's things like soda covers through those tacky mail-order companies
-- thumbwax, Apr 27 2001


I've heard that often the contents of a can can have adverse reactions to the can after they've been opened and exposed to the air, so you aren't supposed to leave them in the refridgerator in their cans for very long. For example, pineapple will deteriorate the tin in tin cans through a chemical reaction, leqving you wth tainted pineapple. Maybe this is why resealable cans aren't baked.
-- fatmess, Nov 17 2001


There is a certain type of can opener that cuts along the seam around the edge, rather than punching through the metal on top, leaving a lid that can be replaced and nearly airtight, but as fatmess said, it's probably not a good idea to store things in them...I'll see if I can find a link...<net.rummage> Ok, I give up. I found plenty of links for buying them, but none for how they work. It cuts horizontally through the folded edge around the outside of the lid, keeping it from falling into the food, and allowing you to put it back on for temporary storage.
-- StarChaser, Nov 18 2001


They had reusable bottles years ago. I guess anything that breaks and shatters and dents and is crushable may prevent refilling. I think transparent aluminum is what you may need. A special glass and metal that is clear but stronger than regular glass and resistant to shatter. But true aluminum oxygen nitrogen clear material as that used in aquariums may need to be thicker in order to be reused as most people trash most thing in a throw away society. And we have mason jars for canned food from corn, green beens and tomatoes and beets pickles and so on and so forth.
-- travbm, Oct 31 2015


umm... paint cans ?
-- FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2015


[FToaster], although you followed travbm's clickbait, your idea is actually great. Maybe they don't do that because the cover has to be thicker, and that costs too much (when dealing with billions of can covers)
-- pashute, Nov 01 2015


Well you could make a metalized rubber using aluminum where ions of metal are layered with the plastic or rubber ware with multiple layers of ionized metal and polymer.
-- travbm, Nov 01 2015


[travbm], source for ALON being used for aquaria? Because if it's cheap enough for aquaria, it's probably cheap enough for lots of other purposes too. I wanted to make lenses out of it.
-- notexactly, Nov 14 2015



random, halfbakery