Every Can Counts UK

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The Every Can Counts Rainbow Arrives in Brighton

The Every Can Counts Rainbow Arrives in Brighton 2560 1707 ChrisUK

As part of a partnership between Every Can Counts and Brighton & Hove City Council, we’ve constructed a giant rainbow archway comprising 2,500 recycled drinks cans on the Brighton Beach seafront.

Created as a tribute to key workers and to raise awareness about the importance of recycling, the four-metre-high installation aims to tackle litter and promote the infinite recyclability of aluminium drink cans. The cans have been supplied by Go Green, a charitable can recycling initiative managed by the Emily Jordan Foundation, which prevents metal packaging from going to landfill and provides meaningful day opportunities to people with learning disabilities and complex needs.

Chris Latham-Warde, Every Can Counts UK Programme Manager, commented: “We’ve created this rainbow archway as a tribute to the infinite good that has been done by key workers across the country during the coronavirus pandemic. We owe so much to them for their continued work on the frontline to keep us safe and well and, of course, it’s thanks to them that we’ve been able to keep recycling.

“We hope this tribute will inspire people to do infinite good in their own lives – and we’d like to suggest that looking after the environment by recycling your empty drink cans is a great place to start. Because drink cans recycle forever, the benefits of putting them in the right bin keep adding up – so playing your part in keeping the cycle going makes a real difference.”

Caroline Lucas, Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion, added: “It’s wonderful to see the Every Can Counts initiative in Brighton highlighting the importance of recycling valuable aluminium cans. I’m looking forward to seeing the giant rainbow of recycled cans, which will serve both as a great eye-catching sculpture for the campaign and as a celebration of the service of key workers during this pandemic. There will be roaming recycling ambassadors to speak to people about the campaign and a photo competition with the rainbow so do head down and see what it’s all about!”

Councillor Amy Heley, joint chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee, concluded: “Our city’s beautiful open spaces have been a much-needed respite for many residents during the lockdown, especially the beach. The downside has been the staggering amount of litter that has been generated. It’s taken a lot of hard work from our teams to keep our beach and parks clean. There are plenty of litter and recycling bins along the seafront so there’s no excuse for leaving a mess.

“We hope the rainbow helps to remind everyone how important it is to look after our beach and recycle more, especially when out and about. Our current recycling rate is still only 29.4% and a city like Brighton & Hove needs to do much, much better. We’ve installed more than 170 multi-coloured triple bins on the seafront where people can recycle cans, paper, cardboard and glass, as well as bin their litter. And if you can’t find a bin, please take your recycling home to put in your household collection.”

The Every Can Counts rainbow archway will remain in situ on Brighton & Hove’s seafront between the Upside Down House and i360 until 14th September.

Alongside the installation, we’ve created pavement graffiti and positioned a number of posters and billboards along the seafront. Over the bank holiday weekend, a team of Every Can Counts recycling ambassadors will be on-site to showcase the exhibition and roam busy beach areas to educate and inspire visitors to do the right thing with their empty drink cans.

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CanMail Summer 2020 is here!

CanMail Summer 2020 is here! 1280 720 ChrisUK

Read our latest newsletter to find out about the latest Every Can Counts UK activities and how we’re rising to the challenges of the COVID-19 era.

Read CanMail Summer 2020 online here

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‘THANK YOU FRONTLINERS’ COLOURING COMPETITION

‘THANK YOU FRONTLINERS’ COLOURING COMPETITION 1920 1920 ChrisUK

Thank you to everyone who took part and congratulations to our winner Adrian Chiappe!

Watch our compilation video and take a look at some of the fantastic designs we received:

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#CANdunk Challenge – The Winning Videos

#CANdunk Challenge – The Winning Videos 8000 8000 ChrisUK

Thank you everyone who got involved with our #CANdunk challenge, it’s been a lot of fun! 

We had a great time watching all of your entries and we’re now excited to announce the winners in our 3 prize categories:

Congratulations to all of you!  We hope you enjoy a well-deserved stay-at-home feast with your £100 Just Eat prize vouchers.

Watch our video below to see the winning entries:

For more #CANdunk action, check out this compilation of some of the other amazing videos we received:

Thank you all for getting creative and recycling in style!  Keep making your cans count!

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Blank CANvas Competition – Our Top 10 Designs

Blank CANvas Competition – Our Top 10 Designs 1920 1920 ChrisUK

We received over 700 CAN-tastic designs and were blown away by the creativity and talent on display.  Thank you to everyone who took part!

It was a really difficult job for our judges but, after much deliberation, our overall winner and 3 runners up have been announced.

Have a look at our top 10 designs below to see who came out on top!

10. Pop – Kaif, age 9

At age 9, Kaif is one of our youngest finalists.  We were really impressed by this hand-drawn design and loved the emphasis on recycling and looking after the planet!

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Every Can Counts celebrates its partnership with Foil for Snappy

Every Can Counts celebrates its partnership with Foil for Snappy 1829 2560 ChrisUK

Known for its celebrated historical landmarks, city walls and a variety of cultural activities, York is a very popular destination in England.  Amongst its Viking heritage and ancient buildings, York is also home to charities and projects with noble missions to help those in need. A particularly popular initiative is Foil for Snappy.

Created by Karen Nash in December 2012, Foil for Snappy recycles drink cans and other aluminium packaging to help raise funds for The Snappy Trust. The Snappy Trust, formerly known as S.N.A.P.P.Y. (Special Needs Activities and Play Provision for York), is a registered charity that supports children and young people across York with wide-ranging disabilities.

Now operating over 50 collection points across York, the Foil for Snappy project has grown significantly over the years. These collection points are hosted in a wide range of locations across the city, including supermarket car parks, community buildings, local businesses and universities. Karen collects drink cans, foil and household cables for recycling and the material is sold to L. Clancey & Sons – an aluminium recycling centre based on the outskirts of the city.

In February 2019, Karen was awarded an Every Can Counts Green Can award in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the initiative. We recently paid Karen a visit to catch-up on Foil for Snappy’s latest achievements and future plans. Welcomed with a smile and warm chocolate cupcakes, we spoke with Karen about how everything started and how she joined forces with Every Can Counts to grow the initiative.

We also had the opportunity to speak with Anne Stamp, Service Manager at The Snappy Trust, who spoke about the positive impact Karen’s relentless work has had on both the charity and the local community.

The Glasshouse is a social space in the heart of the University of York where drink cans are collected for recycling in support of The Snappy Trust. Daniel Stringer, Manager of The Glasshouse, told us how the venue started to collect and recycle cans for Karen.

Every Can Counts has supported Foil for Snappy by providing can collection bins, posters and digital graphics for use on social media channels. The Every Can Counts collection bins help people recycle their drink cans more easily when they are out and about.  If you would like to find out more about how Every Can Counts can support businesses and organisations in your local area, please get in touch by emailing everycancounts@alupro.org.uk or call the team on 01527 597757.

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Brits call for more ‘on the go’ can recycling facilities

Brits call for more ‘on the go’ can recycling facilities 7250 8333 ChrisUK

Survey finds on-street facilities the most in-demand

As our habit for consuming ‘on-the-go’ food and drink continues to rise, research conducted by Every Can Counts has highlighted that 60% of consumers are calling for more can recycling facilities on the street, while 56% would like to see more on beach fronts, and 51% are calling for more facilities at music and sporting events.

Infographic with title which reads 'Where do you think more can recycling points are needed'. From left to right; outline of person crossing street with text underneath, 'On the street 60%; outline of beach with parasol and deck chair with text underneath, 'Beach fronts 56%'; icon of person playing tennis and a guitar beside them with text, 'music and sport events'; outline of shopping bag with text, 'shopping centres 47%'; outline of mortarboard hat with text, 'Universities and colleges 42%'; outline of petrol pump with text, 'Petrol stations 35%'.

The Every Can Counts survey of over 10,000 people was conducted across 30 festival and sporting events in 2019. As well as investigating where more can recycling facilities are needed, the survey also examined perceptions around the recyclability of different drink containers.  58% of respondents deemed drink cans to be one of the most recyclable containers, followed by plastic bottles (44%), glass bottles (26%) and then cartons (12%).

When presented with the recycling facts, 56% of those surveyed were astonished to learn that drink cans are infinitely recyclable, while the fact that a recycled drink can could be back on a shop shelf in just 60 days impressed 28% of respondents the most.

Chris Latham-Warde, Every Can Counts Programme Manager, commented: “As we become increasingly aware of the impact our lifestyles have on the environment, it is important that we as an organisation gain an insight into recycling attitudes and understand any barriers that consumers may face. This research enables us to focus our activities so we can better support consumer desires to recycle more, ensuring we continue to progress towards our vision of a 100% recycling rate for drink cans.”

The current recycling rate for drink cans in the UK stands at 75% but there is still plenty of room to drive up the recycling rate of this valuable material. The Every Can Counts programme works with people, organisations and events to promote drink can recycling and to inspire people to think differently about the value of their empty can.

  • ChrisUK

Friends of Wombwell Park win Green Can Award

Friends of Wombwell Park win Green Can Award 2560 1704 ChrisUK

The hard efforts of a Barnsley based community group has resulted in worthy recognition; the ‘Friends of Wombwell Park’ have been awarded a Green Can Award for the steps they have taken to introduce recycling facilities to Wombwell Park. 

Previously there were no recycling bins anywhere in Wombwell Park and park users had to dispose of all materials in general waste litter bins.  The Friends of Wombwell Park saw an opportunity to increase recycling rates and set about forging a partnership with the recycling programme, Every Can Counts.  There are now drink can collection points set up throughout the park, making it easier for the local community to recycle their empty cans when they are out and about.  The group has raised awareness about these new recycling points by displaying Every Can Counts posters and signs around the park, as well as actively promoting the new facilities on social media.

In addition to the environmental benefits of recycling drink cans, the group is harnessing the value of aluminium to raise funds for further improvements to the park.  The money raised by recycling the cans collected is put towards various projects to benefit park users, including improvements to the popular skatepark area.

Carmel Seston, Recycling Champion for the Friends of Wombwell Park, said: “We had a wonderful afternoon at the presentation of the Green Can Award.  It was well attended by members of the local community and provided an opportunity for sharing ideas on the expansion of this project to include a wider area and a greater range of recycled materials.  The Every Can Counts programme provides a focus for community groups to work together to promote recycling.  By working together, we have helped to inspire positive behaviour change in the local area by promoting recycling behaviours, and it’s fantastic to have this recognised with a Green Can Award.”

Chris Latham-Warde, Every Can Counts Programme Manager, said: “It’s inspiring to see the work the Friends of Wombwell Park have done to engage the local community with recycling behaviours.  By establishing can collection points in the park and raising awareness of the many benefits of recycling drink cans, the group is tackling some of the most common barriers to recycling and inspiring more people to do the right thing with their empty cans.”

Since setting up can recycling points in the park, the group collects around 250 drink cans every week and continues to use this recycling activity to raise funds for further improvements to the park.

  • ChrisUK

In 2020: Be More Like Bangor University

In 2020: Be More Like Bangor University 2560 1707 ChrisUK

The beginning of a new year is an exciting time, full of resolutions to make better choices. During this month we will share some inspiring stories of those who are making a positive difference already.

In 2019, Bangor University in Wales partnered with Every Can Counts to improve on-site can recycling facilities for its 11,000 students and 2,000 members of staff. The University introduced branded Every Can Counts recycling bins in eight locations, providing students and staff with the opportunity to recycle drink cans whilst ‘on the go’.

The Every Can Counts recycling bins were introduced as part of Waste Awareness Week #WAW19, Bangor University’s annual campaign. The event was promoted across social media channels as well as by email to students and staff to increase awareness and encourage them to recycle more when walking around the University.

Gwen Holland, Sustainability Research Officer and Campus Waste Co-ordinator said: “Bangor University was delighted to be approached by the Every Can Counts campaign and jumped at the opportunity to receive ‘on the go’ can recycling bins for our estate. Aluminium cans are a great material to capture as they are closed loop, which means they can be recycled over and over, forever, with no loss of quality and using only 5% of the energy used when creating the product from new.”

“We hope this will be yet another step to ensure valuable material is captured here at Bangor, and not lost to energy recovery”, said Gwen.

Julie Meeks from Every Can Counts, said: “Bangor University has taken on the Every Can Counts programme as part of their proactive approach and by working together we aim to improve recycling across the site with the branded bins.”

At Every Can Counts, we urge more colleges and universities to get involved and start working with our programme; whether universities are looking for help promoting existing recycling facilities, or for those looking to start a new recycling scheme from scratch, we’re here to help!

This year be more like Bangor University and implement our free-to-use can recycling programme to help shape the sustainability of your institution.

Request your FREE starter pack NOW and start making a difference at https://www.everycancounts.co.uk/getstarted/

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In 2020, Be More Like: Ecosurety

In 2020, Be More Like: Ecosurety 1600 1200 ChrisUK

The beginning of a new year is an exciting time, full of resolutions to make better choices. During this month we will share some inspiring stories of those who are making a positive difference already.

Let us introduce Ecosurety, a leading producer responsibility compliance scheme investing in quality recycling for packaging, WEEE and batteries in the UK.  Last year, team members volunteered to join us at Boomtown Fair as Every Can counts ambassadors.

Alice Flavin, Ecosurety Business Development Manager tells us all about the partnership:

“At Ecosurety, it is important for us to get out of the office and to get stuck into something different. Four of us decided to take our three volunteering days and go to a festival to promote can recycling! It was great to work with the Every Can Counts team, their energy and passion really made those early mornings easier.”

“They supported us to have the “get up and go” attitude to get down to the campsites and tell a few fun facts about can recycling with the festival-goers and grab some cans along the way in our big green can backpacks!”, said Alice.

This first-hand experience showed how receptive festival-goers are regarding the importance of environmentally friendly initiatives.

“I think that festival-goers really want to make a difference and do the right thing, but there seems to be a real sense of consumer confusion around what to do with their waste outside of their home. The addition of the large can recycling bins on our back definitely made for a good feature, leading festival-goers to chuck their cans in as we wandered through the campsite. I would say my take away point would be if recycling waste isn’t made easy for consumers, the motivation to do the right thing decreases” said Alice.

This year, be more like Ecosurety and join us in our mission to spread the love for the infinite recyclability of drink cans.

Learn more on how you can work with us on our website https://www.everycancounts.co.uk/getstarted/

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