Students Collect More than 1.3 million Aluminum Cans During Recycling Competition

Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and Scrap University Kids have announced that 1.3 million aluminum beverage cans were collected during its student-focused competition.

The Million Cans Recycling Contest ran from Oct. 15, 2023, to May 16, 2024. Second— and third-grade students from different schools around the United States competed to collect the most aluminum beverage cans.

Schools were chosen for the competition because they were in communities with low recycling rates and no curbside recycling options. This sought to ensure that items that would likely not have been recycled were collected and kept out of landfills.

“The Million Cans Recycling Contest surpassed its one-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,” said Scott Breen, CMI’s 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.”

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