event sustainability

  • Phoebe Kelly

To Infinity and Beyond: The #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room Launches at Dundee Science Centre

To Infinity and Beyond: The #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room Launches at Dundee Science Centre 2560 1707 Phoebe Kelly

The #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room – a new immersive exhibit about can recycling – has arrived at Dundee Science Centre to inspire people to recycle their empty cans! Read on to take a peek inside our giant can and learn more about this immersive exhibition.

What is the #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room?

The ‘Infinity Room’ installation, created by recycling not-for-profit Every Can Counts, aims to teach children and the wider public about the importance of recycling drink cans, as well as illustrating the infinite recyclability of aluminium.

Those who step inside the giant drink can will find themselves in a mirrored room that creates an illusion of being surrounded by an infinite number of suspended aluminium cans. At the same time, a narrator will take them on an educational journey through aluminium can recycling and its environmental benefits.

The exhibit, which is made up of 1,500 recycled cans and 25 square metres of mirrors, also makes for an ideal photo opportunity. Visitors can share their own photos and videos of the Infinity Room on social media with the hashtag #EveryCanCounts.

Take a Peek Inside the Giant Can:

We Even Had a Visit from Less Waste Laura!

Award winning climate activist, environmental scientist, and ethical influencer, Laura Young (also known as Less Waste Laura) visited the Infinity Room during the launch at Dundee Science Centre. Take a look at some of the photos below:

Less Waste Laura stands in front of the #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room, holding an empty can over a recycling bin. She is smiling and is enjoying her visit.
Less Waste Laura stands in front of the #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room, along with Chris-Latham-Warde (the Every Can Counts Programme Manager) and George Wickenden (the Marketing and Audience Development Advisor at Dundee Science Centre). George holds a recycling bin while Laura and Chris recycle an empty drink can each. All three are smiling and excited to be a part of this recycling initiative.
Less Waste Laura stands inside the Infinity Room. Half of her body is visible and the other half is reflected in the mirrored door of the Infinity Room.

You can find out more about Laura’s visit to our recycling-themed installation on our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) or for more tips and tricks on how to reduce waste and create a more sustainable future for our planet, make sure you take a look at Laura’s social media channels (Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter).

What We Had to Say About the Arrival of the Infinity Room!

Dundee Science Centre:

Lorraine Lemon, Head of Business Development at Dundee Science Centre, said, “As well as providing an enjoyable visitor experience, we are passionate about motivating change and inspiring positive behaviour for the long-term benefit of our community, and the wider world. The best way to do that is to make an impact and really make people think. Hosting the Infinity Room provides us with an opportunity to do just that – to provide a visual treat, something truly immersive, but also a catalyst for conversations, questions and behavioural change when families and other visitors go home. This interactive exhibit is also a way of showing visitors that even the smallest of steps can make a difference, that we can all do something to reduce our carbon footprint, and that items we might otherwise throw away can be recycled or even transformed into a piece of art.”

Every Can Counts:

Chris Latham-Warde from Every Can Counts added: “We’re thrilled to be bringing our one-of-a-kind Infinity Room installation to another city in the UK after its recent success in Glasgow.

“The aim of the exhibit is to raise awareness of the infinite recyclability of drink cans in a visual and interactive way and we hope that visitors to Dundee Science Centre are left feeling inspired by it. Each and every one of us can play a vital role in keeping this cycle going and enabling aluminium to be recycled again and again, forever.”

Visit the #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room!

Visitors can explore The Infinity Room at Dundee Science Centre free of charge, Monday to Sunday, from 9am to 4 pm. Admission costs still apply for the Centre’s year-round exhibitions. To find out more about Dundee Science Centre, please visit https://www.dundeesciencecentre.org.uk/

Learn More!

Want to learn more about the ways we inspire and empower people to recycle their empty drink cans? Visit our news page for more stories! Or follow us on Facebook and Instagram to join us on our journey towards a 100% drink can recycling rate!

  • Phoebe Kelly

2022 In Review: What We’ve Been Doing To Encourage Drink Can Recycling (And How You Can Help Us Spread The Message In 2023)

2022 In Review: What We’ve Been Doing To Encourage Drink Can Recycling (And How You Can Help Us Spread The Message In 2023) 1920 2560 Phoebe Kelly

Did you know? 82% of drink cans sold in the UK are recycled and the aluminium drink can recycling rate is 73% across Europe as a whole, helping to make drink cans the most recycled beverage container on the planet! But we believe that with your help, we can achieve a 100% drink can recycling rate.

Watch our 2022 highlights video below to see us in action working towards this goal:

Here’s a closer look at what we’ve been up to in 2022 to inspire you to recycle your empty cans:

The #EveryCanCounts Rainbow

  • We took the #EveryCanCounts Rainbow to Covent Garden in March and had so many wonderful responses from everybody who posted a pic of themselves with our installation on social media. Click here to read the full story!
  • To celebrate Earth Day in April we took our rainbow to Newcastle and met Bruce the pug who you all loved on our socials! Click here to read the full story!
  • We took our rainbow to St James’s Park in June to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee! A special Jubilee-themed PixelCan wall display was also on display near the Mall and provided the perfect photo opportunity for those enjoying the celebrations.
  • For Recycle Week, we took our rainbow to Liverpool city centre to show everyone just how magical recycling can be. Click here to read the full story!

Launch of the Infinity Room

  • In October, as part of Recycle Week, we launched our brand new immersive mirror installation in Glasgow Science Centre: The #EveryCanCounts Infinity Room.
  • This installation is made from 1500 recycled cans. Once inside, the mirrored room gives the illusion of being surrounded by an endless amount of suspended drink cans, illustrating the infinite recyclability of aluminium.
  • The Infinity Room will remain on display in Glasgow Science Centre until 8th January 2023 before embarking on a UK tour next year. More dates and locations to follow.

Our First Ever Red Bull Soapbox Race

Despite attending many Red Bull Soapbox Races to inspire and encourage drink can recycling, we’d never had the nerve to actually take part with our very own soapbox… until this year!

Our soapbox was half-can, half-plane to illustrate the varied uses for aluminium once it’s recycled. Chris, our driver, and Tom, our co-pilot, reached an impressive 28mph while speeding down the hill at Alexandra Palace, all in the name of drink can recycling.

Click here to read the full story!

Festivals and Events

Every year we attend a series of festivals and events during the main summer period to help spread the Every Can Counts message and educate people on the importance of drink can recycling. This summer we had a presence at 15 major events around the country!

How We Encourage Drink Can Recycling at Festivals and Events:

The Every Can Counts Ambassadors:

Our summer team is the beating heart of festival season. You’ll often find them wearing their iconic can-shaped backpacks and they’ll either be wandering the campsites or based at our pitch, where you’ll also find voting bins and a chill out zone. Don’t be afraid to chat to our team if you have any questions about drink can recycling!

Our Can Recycling Backpacks:

The Every Can Counts ambassadors bring the recycling bin to you! These are wearable recycling bins which we will take around the festival campsites to collect any cans you might want to recycle while on-the-go.

Recycling Rewards:

As an incentive to recycle as many of your empty cans as possible, we’ll often be giving out recycling rewards such as festival-branded T-shirts, keyrings made from recycled cans and temporary tattoos.

Green Can Awards

Our Green Can Awards celebrate those who have gone above and beyond when it comes to drink can recycling. Over the years we’ve presented awards to businesses, community groups, local initiatives and individuals. This year we gave awards to two fantastic community-focussed initiatives:

  • January: We presented an award to Cans 4 City, a drink can recycling scheme raising funds for Exeter City Football Club in partnership with Exeter City Council. Read the full press release here.
  • November: We presented Crewe Clean Team with an award for their incredible recycling efforts in their local community, collecting 200,000 cans in just 11 years. Read the full press release here.

Key Statistics

Drink Can Recycling Rate

  • The drink can recycling rate remains at an all-time high of 82%!
  • If you’re interested in learning more, check out this amazing fact sheet from Alupro.

Festival & Event Survey Statistics

Our team of ambassadors complete recycling surveys with attendees at festivals and events, and this year they completed over 9,800! Here’s what we learned:

Where would you like to see more drink can recycling points?

  • Beaches and green spaces: 66%
  • On the street: 64%
  • Music and Sports events: 54%

Your favourite DRINK CAN recycling fact!

  • “Aluminium drink cans are endlessly recyclable”: 42%
  • “Every drink can you recycle reduces the carbon footprint of the next one made”: 30%
  • “Empty cans are recycled and back on the shop shelf as a brand-new can in just 60 days”: 27%

TLDR

In 2022 we spread the recycling word at:

  • 11 music festivals
  • 4 city centre locations with the #EveryCanCounts Rainbow
  • 2 events with our PixelCan display (the Platinum Jubilee and Download Festival)
  • 2 race weekends at Silverstone Circuit (Formula 1 and MotoGP)
  • A brand-new Infinity Room installation in Glasgow Science Centre
  • Our first ever Red Bull Soapbox Race!

Key Takeaways:

  • The drink can recycling rate is at an all-time high of 82% but we want to keep raising the bar and ultimately reach 100%.
  • Over the summer, attendees at festivals and events completed over 9800 of our recycling surveys! That means our Recycling Ambassadors directly spread the Every Can Counts message to nearly 10,000 people this summer!
  • You told us you want to see more ‘on-the-go’ can recycling points, whether this is at beaches & green spaces, music & sports events or on the street.
  • We have delivered a total of 300 free recycling packs to businesses, charities and local groups who want to improve their drink can recycling rates.
  • We have given a Green Can Award to two fantastic community-focussed initiatives: Cans 4 City in Exeter and Crewe Clean Team.

How you can join us on our mission to achieve a 100% drink can recycling rate:

Every Can Counts x Canned Wine Co.
  • Keep recycling those empty cans! They’re incredibly easy to recycle and can be back on the shop shelf within 60 days after they’re collected. 
  • If you can’t find a recycling bin while you’re on-the-go, take your empty can home with you!
  • Businesses, community groups and charities can order a free recycling pack from us to help encourage drink can recycling on the go.
  • You can make money from the cans you collect and recycle and put it towards a good cause! Aluminium is the most valuable material in your recycling bin.
  • Learn more about the recycling process and help us spread the word.

You can learn more here:

Share this post on social media and let us know if you’ve seen any of our work this year and what you’ve learned from us so far!

Is there anything else you’d like to see us do in 2023? Get in touch!

  • ChrisUK

MAKING EVERY CAN COUNT AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX

MAKING EVERY CAN COUNT AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX 2081 2081 ChrisUK

We joined forces with Silverstone race circuit to encourage people to recycle their empty drink cans at this year’s British Grand Prix.

With a crowd of over 140,000 fans in attendance at the race on Sunday, and 350,000 in attendance across the weekend, the 2021 British Grand Prix became the largest event to take place in the UK since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

And with 30 degree heat over the weekend, there was no shortage of cans being enjoyed around the circuit. We knew we were in the right place to make a real difference!  

Our partnership with Silverstone brought two head-turning can recycling installations to the event: our famous #EveryCanCounts Rainbow installation and brand new SILVERSTONE can recycling cages. Both installations were hugely popular photo opportunities, providing race fans with a lasting memory of their British Grand Prix experience while also keeping recycling front of mind.

While the cars were racing around the track, we also had a team of recycling ambassadors doing laps of their own around the venue. Our team conducted recycling surveys and spread the word about the benefits of recycling drink cans, while their can recycling backpacks made it easier for attendees to recycle around the circuit.

We’d like to think our messaging impacted Sebastian Vettel over the weekend, who stuck around after the Grand Prix to take part in a litter pick. Any cans collected during the pick were separated at a sorting facility and then recycled. Vettel commented: “I think it is important that we all respect the environment and don’t rely on other people to clear up after us. We have to start somewhere and each one of us can make a difference now.” Well said Seb – we couldn’t agree more!

Our ‘CAN do’ attitude clearly rubbed off on reigning champion Lewis Hamilton too, who took a crowd-pleasing home victory in Sunday’s race which only enhanced the electric atmosphere around the circuit.

We really enjoyed our first ever British Grand Prix and want to thank everyone who recycled their cans with us over the weekend. Aluminium recycles forever, so who knows – maybe those recycled cans will end up as part of a racing car doing laps around Silverstone one day! ♻️

Want to find out more about Every Can Counts? Get in touch with our team here.


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