I go on a trip once a year with a group of lets say 10 people, we go for 7 nights and consume on average approx 120 cans of beer each (throughout the week). We have a fire burning the whole time in a hole that we dig approx 1ft deep, then we dispose of each can in the fire and let them melt down never thinking about them again. That\'s approx 1,200 cans that melt in the one fire hole.Will the aluminum have an affect on the soil? does anyone know what sort of damage this can cause? and for what distance / area around the fire might be affected?The theory amongst the group is that cans do not hurt anything so that\'s why they take cans instead of glass.ThanksAluminum is very reactive in air and will form a layer of aluminum oxide around the outside of any piece. This oxide layer is very stable which is why aluminum doesn\'t corrode. Since your block of aluminum will be totally oxidized being in a fire, it\'s inert and just going to sit in the hole for the foreseeable future. The burning paint might not be healthy to breath but that\'s about the only hazard. Most common soil is a mixture of aluminum, carbon and silica compounds anyways so you aren\'t even adding anything particularly exotic. Alternatively, you could bring along a couple fifths of whiskey. It\'s lighter and has less packaging so it\'s the environmentally friendly way to get drunk.Other related question