Students collect more than 1.3 million aluminum cans

Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), Washington, and Scrap University Kids, Bellingham, Washington, have announced more than 1.3 million empty aluminum used beverage cans (UBCs) were collected during the first Million Cans Recycling Contest.  

This competition challenged second- and third-grade students to see which school could recycle the most used UBCs. From Oct. 15, 2023, to May 16, eight schools from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas collected more than 1.3 million cans. 

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According to CMI, schools were selected in communities with low recycling rates and no curbside recycling systems to ensure the cans likely would not have been recycled otherwise. These organizations wanted to show that a can-only model, leveraging the relatively high market value of UBCs, can work where no or limited recycling exists. 

“The Million Cans Recycling Contest surpassed its 1 million-mark goal thanks to the efforts of students, teachers and parents at the participating elementary schools, as well as the support of each CMI aluminum beverage can sector member that was partnered with a participating school nearby one of its facilities,” says Scott Breen, CMI senior vice president of sustainability. “The Million Cans Recycling Contest demonstrates there is an effective way to actively engage young learners on recycling in a hands-on way while delivering valuable funding for their school.” 

Schools that competed earned funding from selling the UBCs to local scrap yards. They say the money can be used to support various educational activities and partnerships. 

The contest diverted more than a million empty aluminum beverage cans away from landfills. CMI says recycling these cans saves the energy equivalent to what it takes to power a U.S. home for almost 60 years. The metal from selling the UBCs is worth nearly $21,000 in value. 

Additionally, CMI provided more than $12,000 in funding that schools received if they met certain challenges or targets during the competition. For example, the top-three schools received grand prizes for collecting the most cans per student participating: 

• 1^st Place, Yankeetown Elementary in Newburgh, Indiana, will receive a $3,000 prize. 
• 2^nd Place, Lewisburg Elementary in Logan, Kentucky, will receive a $1,000 prize. 
• 3^rd Place, Rich Pond Elementary in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will receive a $500 prize. 

An honorable mention also was given to La Vega Elementary in Waco, Texas. The school collected more than 427,000 cans, more than any other school given its large student population. 

Beyond the financial funding, CMI also paid for every student in second or third grade participating in the contest to receive a copy of the children’s book, The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans. 

In total, eight participating schools competed in the Million Cans Recycling Contest: 

• L.E. Willson Elementary, Sheffield, Alabama, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Constellium;  
• Rich Pond Elementary School, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Crown Holdings;  
• Yankeetown Elementary School, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Kaiser Aluminum;  
• Lewisburg Elementary School, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champions Novelis and Tri-Arrows;  
• Pleasant Hill Elementary, Olive Branch, Mississippi, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Ardagh Metal Packaging;  
• Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ephrata, PA, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Canpack;  
• William M. Reeves Elementary School, Summerville, South Carolina, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Ardagh Metal Packaging; and
• La Vega Elementary School, which was partnered with aluminum beverage can industry champion Envases.