Million Cans Recycling Contest 2025-2026

2025-2026 Current Can Count

The Million Cans Recycling Contest

♻️ 54 schools across the USA are competing
from October 01 – April 30th to recycle the most aluminum cans!

The Million Cans Recycling Contest is a win-win: students help the planet 🌎 and schools keep 100% of the money from the cans they recycle.

Every can counts let’s cheer on our recycling superheroes! 🦸‍♀️🥳

MIllion Cans Recycling Contest Page

🏆 Current Leaderboard 🏆

View PDF

🏆 Kentucky Million Cans Recycling Contest Leaderboard

Let’s go, KY recycling superheroes! 💙♻️
23 amazing Kentucky schools are competing in the #MillionCans Recycling Contest — rallying their students, families, and communities to recycle aluminum cans and raise money for their schools.

Schools are grouped by size (Small, Medium, and Large), and 3 winners in each group will earn prizes:
🥇 $500 • 🥈 $400 • 🥉 $300

Schools with the most total aluminum cans per size win!

Every can counts — scroll down to see who’s leading the race! 🥫🦸‍♂️

🍕 75,000 Can Pizza Party Winners! 🥫♻️

When a school hits 75,000 recycled aluminum cans, their recycling superheroes earn a well-deserved pizza party to celebrate their hard work and teamwork — and for rallying their entire school and community to collect cans! 🍕🥫

It’s our way of saying THANK YOU for keeping cans out of the trash and helping protect our planet. Amazing job, superheroes — thanks a MILLION! 💚

Your donations help make it all possible — covering books, pizza parties, ice cream celebrations, and more rewards for our incredible recycling superheroes. ♻️✨

Mt. Washington Elementary

Mt. Washington Elementary’s recycling superheroes teamed up with Tri-Arrows Aluminum and Grade A Auto Recycling to recycle over 88,900 cans so far this year — earning their pizza party and keeping cans out of the trash! Last year, they recycled an incredible 276,745 cans. Amazing work, Kentucky! ♻️🥫 #millioncans

193,900 Cans

Tri County Primary

♻️⭐ Tri County Recycling Superheroes! The amazing students at Tri County Primary in Indiana are crushing it again this year with 151,900 aluminum cans recycled so far! 🥫 Last year’s contest champions are back and coming in strong, working with the great teams at Lewis Salvage Recycling and Ball Corporation. Keep up the incredible work, recycling superheroes! 💪♻️

Mendon Elementary

🐾♻️ The recycling superheroes at Mendon Elementary School in Yough, Pennsylvania have already recycled 90,650 cans this year and earned their pizza party! 🍕🥫 Last year they finished 2nd place nationwide with 284,025 cans and an incredible 5,072 cans per student. They’re working with the awesome team at Mon Valley Recycling. We can’t wait to see how they finish this year! Crush it like a Cougar! 🐾♻️

Prospect Ridge Academy

Prospect Ridge Academy is rocking their first year in the Million Cans Recycling Contest — teaming up with Aluminum Dynamics and Rocky Mountain Recycling as the only school in Colorado! Way to go, Miner Mania — we love seeing those recycling superheroes in action. Keep up the amazing work! ♻️🥫 #miners #minermania #millioncans

84,000 Cans

🏆 Million Cans School Group Leaderboards – $1,000 Prize

54 schools across the USA are competing in 4 groups — and one school per group will win! 🏆
Prizes go to the schools with the highest number of aluminum cans recycled per student. Let’s go recycling superheroes! 🦸‍♀️🥫

School Groups PDF

Updated 02/18/2026

🏆 Group A Leader:

Washington West Elementary, MO

🏆 Group B Leader:

Mendon Elementary, PA

🏆 Group C Leader:

Tri County, IN

🏆 Group D Leader:

Mt. Washington Elementary, KY

Pledge - Color - Recycle

Our Recycling Pledge coloring pages help kids learn that aluminum cans and batteries don’t belong in the trash.
Take the pledge and inspire your family, friends, and school! 🥫⚡️

We 💖 Our Readers & Recycling Superheroes! ♻️🦸🏼‍♀️🦸🏼‍♂️

The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans is sparking real behavior change — inspiring students across the USA to spot cans, recycle more, and become true recycling superheroes! 🦸‍♀️🥫♻️💚

The book that sparked a movement

The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans

Did you know that the USA recycles only 45% of cans, even though they're 100% recyclable? Let's turn that number around by teaching kids how they can make a difference!

Meet Ellie, the unicorn-loving, can-recycling superstar who's on a mission to save the planet. When she discovers that she can get money for recycling cans, she sets her sights on collecting one million of them to buy her very own unicorn. But she can't do it alone, so she enlists the help of her friends and the entire school to join in her crusade. Will they succeed? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Learn More