Elementary school students in the United States have collected more than 1.6 million aluminum cans during the national 2 Million Cans Recycling Contest, organized by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and the Recycling Is Like Magic! initiative.
The contest, held between October 2024 and April 2025, involved second and third-grade students from 18 schools across 12 states. The goal was to promote the recycling of beverage cans through a school competition. Students collected used cans, which were then sold to scrap centers to raise funds for schools.
Thanks to this initiative, more than $26,000 in scrap value was generated and energy savings equivalent to powering over 20 million mobile phones. Furthermore, nearly 97% of these cans will be turned into new ones in less than 60 days. The three schools that collected the most cans per student—in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky—received prizes of up to $3,000.
The program was supported by CMI member companies, such as Ardagh Metal Packaging, CANPACK, Crown Holdings, and Envases, among others, which also funded incentives and children’s books for all participating students. The campaign aims to teach the economic and environmental value of aluminum recycling from an early age.
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