2025 - 2026 Current Count

Aluminum Cans Recycled
♻️ 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! 🦸‍♀️🥳

📊 Leaderboard Notes

37 of our 54 amazing schools have had their cans picked up so far — many bins are still filling up! 🗑️♻️

Schools not yet listed are simply waiting on their first pickup… stay tuned! 🚛✨

Our leaderboard ranks schools based on the total number of aluminum cans recycled divided by the number of books we send over.

Each student in the selected grade receives their own copy of The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans (in English or Spanish). They read the book, share the message, and help teach their entire school — and their families — why aluminum cans should never go in the trash. 🥫💚

We update the leaderboard every time we receive an official scale ticket from our metal recycling partners.

Thank you for your patience — and keep those cans coming, superheroes! 💪🦸‍♀️✨✨

🕵️ Watch This Space! Schools with Bins Still Filling Up:

Arizona (AZ)
  • Rivera Elementary
Florida (FL)
  • David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center
  • Round Lake Charter School
Illinois (IL)
  • Marya Yates Elementary School

Kentucky (KY)

  • Briarwood Elementary School
  • Jennings Creek Elementary School
  • Lost River Elementary School
  • North Warren Elementary School
  • Plano Elementary School
  • Richard B. Cartmell Elementary
  • Richardsville Elementary School
  • Warren Elementary School
  • William H. Natcher Elementary School

Mississippi (MS)

  • West Lowndes Elementary
Texas (TX)
  • La Vega Elementary School
Washington (WA)
  • Enterprise Elementary
 

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! 🥫⚡️

School Groups

♻️💵 A $1,000 prize is waiting in each group for the school that collects the highest number of aluminum cans per student.

Let’s see who rises to the top! 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

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!

The Recycling Society is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. EIN: 33-2569312.
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