Every Can Counts, a not-for-profit organisation that works to encourage and empower people to recycle their drink cans, has announced this year’s winners of its national recycling award scheme.
Crewe Clean Team, Bodega 51 bar and Haileybury School have all been recognised for their sustainability efforts and their ongoing commitment to recycling.
Crewe Clean Team has 200 members who take part in community litter picks throughout Crewe and the surrounding area. As well as this, the group collects aluminium packaging from local businesses, including hair foil from a salon, foil trays from takeaways and empty drink cans from local pubs. Across the last decade they have recycled more than 200,000 drink cans.
Meanwhile, Bodega 51, a bar located in Rochester, Kent, has recycled every can consumed on-site since it opened in May 2022. This has amounted to more than 25,000 cans being recycled whilst also raising £200 for the mental health charity, Mind, by selling the cans to a local scrap metal business.
Bodega also encourages its employees and other local businesses and individuals in the area to drop off clean and crushed aluminium cans in clear sacks to be recycled.
Finally, Haileybury School in Hertford has also been presented with a Green Can Award for its recycling initiative which has seen 30 aluminium recycling boxes installed in common areas around the school and in each of the 12 boarding houses to encourage peers, teachers, and visitors to recycle.
In recognition of their efforts, the school’s Sustainability Committee were rewarded with a workshop led by social enterprise, Casting Innovations, during which they learned about the infinite recyclability of aluminium, as well as the melting process, and were able to make their own keyring from recycled aluminium.
Since the awards scheme was launched by Every Can Counts in 2014, a total of 28 schools, community groups, and other organisations have been commended.
Chris Latham-Warde, Programme Manager at Every Can Counts, said: “We’re very excited to announce this year’s winners of our Green Can Award 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.”
David McDonald, chair of Crewe Clean Team, said: “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.”
Kayea Shome, owner of Bodega 51, said: “We’re thrilled to receive this award and be recognised for our commitment to recycling. Being Kent’s first can bar, recycling is hugely important to us and we’re glad to be able to use our recycling initiative to also give something back to the community by raising money for charity. The more people who can get involved, the better!”
Finally, Simon Heard, Deputy Master and Sustainability Lead at Haileybury School, was delighted with the award: “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.”
To find out more information about Every Can Counts, visit www.everycancounts.co.uk.
