Europe

Our Spanish chapter, Cada Lata Cuenta, has participated in a collaborative art installation alongside the Ibero-American Design Biennial (BID) and the photoAlquimia studio.

This new participatory initiative unites design, sustainability, and community. Titled “Cuauhtli: The Flight That Unites Us,” the event transforms the public spaces of Carabanchel (Madrid) into a meeting point for neighbours and creators, celebrating the district’s multicultural identity and creative energy.

The PixelCan installation turns recycled drink cans into the ‘pixels’ of a collective image. A total of 2,000 recycled and painted cans form the face of an eagle, inspired by Cuauhtli — the Aztec symbol of strength, vision, and freedom — designed by Pilar Balsalobre, co-founder of photoAlquimia.

This activation not only champions creativity and design as tools for urban transformation but also raises environmental awareness and promotes collaborative recycling as a cultural practice.

Carabanchel Distrito Cultural, the neighbourhood association collaborating on the creation of the Every Can Counts PixelCan installation, aims to promote art and culture to revitalise the area and enhance community life. They work collaboratively with a strong commitment to inclusion and local participation, seeking to strengthen the district’s cultural and artistic fabric.

Our French chapter, Chaque Canette Compte, has taken our programme’s recycling message even further into the future with Citeo!

A few weeks ago, our team partnered with the Urban Film Festival in Paris for the first time, showcasing our work during the event’s opening. Huge thanks to the UFF team, and to Rick Carter and Joanna Johnston — Oscar-winning artists behind Back to the Future.

To celebrate the saga’s 40th anniversary and the festival’s 20th edition, our programme was selected by Festival Director François Gautret to create a special PixelCan artwork, designed by artist Kan DMV. The PixelCan was displayed alongside the original DeLorean, surrounded by iconic sketches, storyboards and props from Hollywood legends.

We now even have a PixelCan signed by Rick Carter — a fun reminder that in Back to the Future, the DeLorean ends up running on recycled cans. Of course, our team helped ensure that all guests’ drink cans were recycled during the event, just in case!

Every Can Counts U.S. launched a new aluminium drink can recycling activation at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., in partnership with National Links Trust.

The new program kicked off during an aluminium can–themed happy hour on October 15 and aims to make recycling easier for golfers and visitors while keeping valuable aluminium beverage cans out of landfills and in circulation.

The year-long pilot program brings two DC-shaped aluminium can recycling cages, plus new recycling bins and educational signage across the course. These additions make it simple and fun for players to recycle their used drink cans. Visitors can find the bright green Every Can Counts bins near the clubhouse, driving range, mini-golf course, and throughout the course.

Every can collected at East Potomac will be sold to Potomac Metals, Inc., a local scrapyard partner. The proceeds will go right back into the course to support future sustainability projects and events.

National Links Trust, which manages D.C.’s three public golf courses, has long been committed to affordable, accessible, and environmentally responsible golf. Partnering with Every Can Counts U.S. reinforces that mission.

Every Can Counts U.S. hopes to expand this public golf course recycling program next year to other courses.

Our local chapter, Every Can Counts U.S., launched a new aluminium drink can recycling activation at East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., in partnership with National Links Trust. The new program aims to make recycling easier for golfers while keeping valuable aluminium out of landfills and in circulation.

If you are around, look for the “DC” can cages and recycling bins throughout the course! Proceeds from every can collected will go right back into the course to support future sustainability projects and events.

In the final days of October, a meeting of Każda Puszka Cenna, our Polish initiative, took place with animators. Thanks to the involvement of the Gränges Konin aluminium smelter and the CANPACK Group, a can manufacturer, participants had the opportunity to learn about the can production process and see how recycling is carried out. This was done to understand the concept of circularity better.

During the meeting, Każda Puszka Cenna animators and students from the State University of Applied Sciences in Konin participated in study visits that illustrated the life cycle of aluminium cans.

For Gränges Konin, joining the Every Can Counts Project Partners is an opportunity to deepen practical knowledge about aluminium recycling. A group of over 20 Każda Puszka Cenna animators and six students from the Academy of Applied Sciences visited our plant in Konin, where special attention is paid to the production of aluminium with a predominant content of recycled material, said Paweł Rutecki, Member of the Management Board of Gränges Konin.

The animators saw firsthand not only what the aluminium recycling process looks like, but also how the aluminium sheet from which drink cans are made is produced.

We are extremely pleased to share our practical knowledge of drink can production and invite guests to our facility in Bydgoszcz. For most consumers, an aluminium can is just a packaging. However, when we look at it from the perspective of the complexity and speed of the production process, its beautiful designs, and its limited environmental impact thanks to its recyclability, we are amazed by its beauty, emphasised Bartłomiej Wojdyło, Sustainability Director Europe at CANPACK.

Our local chapter, Svaka limenka se računa, together with Ball Corporation, took part in a true celebration of running—the 10th-anniversary Business Run in Belgrade!

On September 25, more than 9,900 participants from 490 companies, institutions, and organisations ran at Ada Ciganlija. As our team has shown, sport, a healthy lifestyle, and sustainability can go hand in hand.

This year, our team members didn’t just run; They spread the message of drink can recycling across all host cities: Subotica, Novi Sad, Belgrade, and Niš. In each city, they engaged participants and visitors, reminded everyone that every can can become a new can, and showed that recycling can be both fun and inspiring.

A special highlight was the medals made from recycled cans, which drew the attention of runners and the wider public alike. They showcased the infinite potential of aluminium recycling and reinforced the idea that no can should end up as waste. Instead, every can became a symbol of success, teamwork, and environmental responsibility.

From September 13 to 18, our local chapter joined the Ada Divine Awakening Festival in Ada Bojana — a truly unique gathering dedicated to awareness, intimacy, and conscious living. The festival brought together international speakers and artists who inspired participants through personal growth experiences and conscious music.

Our team was there to engage visitors and raise awareness of the importance of drink can recycling and protecting nature together.

One of the highlights of the event was the creation of four CANvases, made entirely from recycled cans and beautifully painted by artists Petra Stevanović and Nikola Tošić. Festival-goers were also invited to leave their own messages on the cans, turning the act of recycling into a collaborative and creative expression of sustainability.

This year’s summer tour for Every Can Counts UK came to a lively close with the official debut at BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford. Across the two-day festival, our team brought the iconic can cages, interactive voting bins, and a whole team of recycling ambassadors to help fans keep the park clean while making sure every empty can was given a second life.

The beloved mascot, Canzee, was impossible to miss at Hylands Park. With its big dance moves and even bigger personality, Canzee drew smiles wherever it went, from festival-goers to the big names on stage. Canzee even managed to grab a few star-studded selfies, including moments with Michelle Visage and Paddy McGuinness, proving once again that recycling is always in style.

Our team didn’t just help recycle cans; it started conversations. Over the weekend, our ambassadors spoke with thousands of festival-goers about the power of aluminium recycling, encouraging everyone to do their part in keeping valuable materials in the loop. Visitors also loved our recycling-themed temporary tattoos, with hundreds proudly showing them off across the site.

The response to the festival survey was fantastic, with more than 550 attendees participating and providing us with valuable insights into recycling behaviours and attitudes. These findings will help shape how Every Can Counts continues to engage with communities across the UK.

Radio 2 in the Park marked the final stop in what has been an incredible festival season for Every Can Counts UK. From major music festivals to local cultural events, our mission has been the same: to show that every single can counts. Along the way, we’ve helped recycle thousands of cans, sparked meaningful conversations, and inspired festival-goers to think differently about their role in the recycling loop.

As the summer season comes to a close, our local chapter is already looking forward to what’s next. The work doesn’t stop when the music does — and they will be continuing to spread the recycling message across the UK all year round.

The unique blend of art, theatre and recycling at this year’s Limenka Teatar Fest, held in Kruševac from 3–7 September, once again proved how creativity can inspire environmental awareness from the earliest age. This international children’s festival, which has been held for over a decade in a different Serbian city each year, carries a powerful message: every can has value and recycling closes the loop – giving packaging a new life.

Our local chapter, Svaka limenka se računa, together with Ball Corporation, fulfils this mission through events like this – educating children and their parents about the potential of recycling and showing that aluminium cans can be recycled endlessly.

During the five festival days, more than 4,500 children and adults enjoyed 11 performances from 8 countries, while at the same time learning that every used can can be back on the shelf in just 60 days. At the Limenka Bazaar, they exchanged cans for ALU COIN, the world’s first ecological currency, and through play and theatre gained their first lessons in caring for the planet.

As every year, our team, in partnership with Ball Corporation, bring the message that recycling is not just a duty but an opportunity – an opportunity for every can to become a new can and for a new generation to start building a sustainable future today.

The collaboration of Každá plechovka se počítá, our Czechian chapter, with Prague 2 continues to thrive. This marks the third consecutive year that the iconic recycling heart has been part of Riegrovy Gardens – now a true summer tradition. Installed from the beginning of June until the end of August, the heart has become a familiar feature for residents throughout the season.

People have grown used to seeing and using the heart, and this year it has already been filled three times, despite less-than-ideal weather conditions. This steady participation highlights the strong community support for recycling and sustainability in the Prague 2 municipal district. The ongoing success of this project proves that the partnership with Prague 2 is not only effective but also valued by the community.