Haileybury School bags the Green Can Award for installing 30 aluminium recycling bins

Every Can Counts (ECC), a non-profit organisation that encourages and empowers people to recycle their used aluminium beverage cans, has revealed the winners of this year's national recycling award competition. Crewe Clean Team, Bodega 51 pub, and Haileybury School have all been acknowledged for their dedication to sustainability and recycling.

Haileybury School in Hertford received a Green Can Award for its recycling project, which included the installation of 30 aluminium recycling bins in familiar places around the school and in each of the 12 boarding houses to encourage classmates, staff, and visitors to recycle.

Simon Heard, Deputy Master and Sustainability Lead at Haileybury School expressed, "We feel very fortunate to have so many motivated pupils and committed staff to help push the sustainability strategy of the school, of which one aspect is recycling. It is fantastic, therefore, to team up with a company such as Every Can Counts. To win an award on top of this was very special, and we are very proud of the pupils' achievements."

The school's Sustainability Committee was rewarded for their efforts with a workshop led by social enterprise Casting Innovations, during which they learned about the infinite recyclability of aluminium and the melting process. They were able to make their own keyring from recycled aluminium. 

Meanwhile, since its opening in May 2022, Bodega 51, a pub in Rochester, Kent, has recycled every can be drunk on-site. This has resulted in recycling over 25,000 aluminium cans while also collecting £200 for the mental health charity Mind by selling the cans to a local scrap metal firm. Bodega also encourages its staff and other local companies and residents to recycle clean and crushed aluminium cans in transparent bags.

Finally, the Crewe Clean Team has 200 individuals participating in trash pickups in Crewe and the surrounding region. In addition, the organisation collects aluminium packaging from local companies, such as hair foil from a salon, foil trays from eateries, and empty beer cans from local pubs. They have recycled over 200,000 drink cans in the past decade.

David McDonald, chair of Crewe Clean Team, stated, "I couldn't have predicted the scale of the scheme now when we set out 10 years ago, but it really has taken off. Over two hundred volunteers make up Crewe Clean Team, so it really is a joint effort and we're all thrilled with the award. Everyone is so proud of what we've accomplished to date, but there is always more work to be done and we're keen to welcome new faces."

Every Can Counts has recognised 28 schools, community organisations, and other entities since the program's inception in 2014. Chris Latham-Warde, Programme Manager at Every Can Counts, said: "We're very excited to announce this year's winners of our Green CanAward scheme and are very grateful to Crewe Clean Team, Bodega 51, and Haileybury, for their amazing recycling efforts. Together, they have recycled more than 225,000 cans, and considering each and every one of these cans can be recycled and back on a shop shelf in just 60 days, their activities have made a significant difference. We hope the ongoing efforts of this year's winners will inspire other businesses, community groups and schools across the UK to get involved and do their bit to keep the cycle going."