Austrian collects 10 million beer bottle caps

Vienna (AP) – It takes a lot of beers to collect 10 million bottle caps. But Austria’s Hans Heiland didn’t drink them alone. Heiland says that most of them have come from others, many of them by mail, after his passion for collecting beer bottle caps become known. Heiland, from the town of Ybbs, west of Vienna, started his hobby five years ago. State broadcaster ORF said Thursday that his collection now weighs 18 tons. Heiland recently sold the caps to a metal collector for 1,500 euros ($1,700) and says he will deliver all three truckfulls to the new owner Friday. He says he plans to give the money to a needy family in the region.