Does your school want to participate in our recycling contest?

Millions of cans have already been collected and recycled by hundreds of students across the country. 

We can make a difference together!

Your $200 donation will provide enough books for an entire classroom.

Not only will these children learn about the importance of recycling, their family and friends will too! 

Recycling is confusing and accurate information is difficult to find. This leads to recyclable materials being disposed of in the garbage.  Due to this problem, our landfills continue to grow out of control with items that should have been recycled.  The Recycling Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to solving this problem with our proven formula: 

Capturing the imagination of children through engaging stories involving unicorns will lead them to believe that recycling is like magic!  This is the spark that moves them into action much like the characters in the award winning book, The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans.  The story explains that a problem exists that they can help solve.  Aluminum cans (used beverage containers) are not being recycled and are often found in parks, schools, and in the trash.  The book explains how recycling works and that simply picking up discarded cans helps the planet.

Schools participating in the Millions Cans Recycling Contest receive a roll-off bin from a local recycling center (scrapyard) which is typically positioned in the school parking lot for ease of access to students, teachers, and parents.  One of the main deterrents to recycling is a lack of convenient drop-off locations.  Most recycling centers are located on the outskirts of town making it challenging for on the go families to recycle their beverage containers.

School spirit can be displayed in a variety of ways.  One of the most common methods is by competing in sports with other schools.  Winning is a good feeling and often brings out the best in each participant. Friendly competition with other schools in various States motivates students to collect as many cans as possible.  While collecting the most cans is certainly a motivation, we have added cash prizes for schools that recycle the most cans.  The entire school and community come together to become the can champion. 

Even though prizes are only awarded to winning schools, aluminum cans are a valuable commodity.  Schools in deposit states redeem their cans for the posted value in their State while

schools in non-deposit States are paid by the pound for their cans.  35 cans equal 1 pound.  At the end of the competition, the recycler connected with each school sends a check for the total amount of cans collected.  In some cases, this equates to thousands of dollars which is a significant amount of unexpected funding.  Some schools have used these funds to improve playgrounds, purchase gym equipment, and even buy new bleachers. 

Our program targets States with low recycling rates - see map below.  1.3 million cans were collected during the 2023-2024 school year.  As the program expands across States and into more schools, this amount will begin to alter the recycling rate within each State and the entire country.

Enacting behavioural change is the primary objective behind our recycling contest.  Throwing used beverage containers in the trash is a learned behavior that must be eliminated.  Changing the behavior of adults is extremely difficult as they have formed bad habits over their lifetime.  Teaching children about the importance of recycling and how their choices affect the planet will set the right habits for the remainder of their lives.  Each student participating in our recycling contest is required to make a pledge.  

“I promise to never throw a can in the trash for the rest of my life.”  

Armed with their newfound knowledge, these children will hold their parents, relatives, and friends accountable which will lead to even more lifetime recyclers.

Finding purpose can be a lifelong journey.  Becoming a recycling superhero is something that any child can become regardless of their age.  Being good at something instills confidence which lends itself to a variety of life opportunities.