The Recycling Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to teaching children that they should never throw aluminum cans in the trash. Through our Million Cans Recycling Contest, students learn that aluminum is recyclable forever and that it has real value. Millions of cans have already been collected and recycled by students across the country. Together, we can make our planet a better place!
The Recycling Society connects elementary schools with scrapyards across the country to create sustainable recycling programs that make a difference in the lives of children and the communities they live in. Best of all, schools keep 100% of the money they earn from the cans they collect and recycle!
About the Million Cans Recycling Contest
We launched the Million Cans Recycling Contest in November 2023 with just 8 incredible schools—and they recycled 1.3 million aluminum cans! In 2024, the contest grew to 36 schools and together they recycled over 2.2 million cans.
Now in our 3rd year, the contest has officially become a core program of The Recycling Society, with 54 schools across 14+ states competing to recycle the most cans from October 1st to April 30th each year.
We focus on states without a deposit program and show students, teachers, families, and communities how fun, easy, and impactful recycling can be—thanks to the amazing support of our local scrapyard partners.
With the help of generous donors, we can continue expanding this program each year—bringing hands-on recycling education to the communities across the USA that need it most. 🌎💚🥫
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Total Cans Recycled
Our Winning Formula
Your donation helps us bring hands-on recycling education to more students across the USA. With your support, we can teach kids how easy it is to recycle at school with the help of their local metal recycling partners — and inspire the next generation of recycling superheroes! ♻️💚🦸♀️
Education +
We teach students why recycling aluminum cans matters.
Your donations buy books, pizza, ice cream, and more for schools across the USA. 🍕📚 Every $1 helps us teach more kids about the importance of recycling. ♻️✨
Stories Create Superheroes
Kids learn about recycling through fun books, cartoons, and coloring pages — along with hands-on activities. ♻️📚✨
Hear from Our Recycling Superheroes! Find out why the Million Cans Recycling Contest matters—from the kids who are making a real difference, one can at a time. ♻️🌟
Here’s what our amazing donors are saying! 💚 We hope you’ll consider supporting the Recycling Society today so we can continue growing and reaching more students every year.
