Europe

The Electric Picnic Festival, renowned for its upbeat music lineup, vibrant atmosphere, and unforgettable experiences, recently took place at Stradbally, Ireland. Amidst the vibrant ambience and electrifying music, our local programme seized the golden opportunity to participate and use this popular festival as a platform for a meaningful cause: encouraging festival-goers to recycle their empties. The result? The collection of more than 9,000 drink cans.

Every Can Counts’ “I <3 RECYCLING” metal bins near the entrance were hard to miss and reminded festival-goers that small actions can make a big difference in protecting our planet. These eye-catching cages were a beacon of environmental consciousness throughout the weekend, reminding visitors that small actions, like drink can recycling, can make a big difference in sustainability.

Our 14 recycling ambassadors tirelessly roamed the campsites and collected every drink can while engaging with festival attendees. They even initiated 1,000 recycling surveys with participants, giving them a chance to win tickets to next year’s Electric Picnic Festival. To reward visitors for their recycling efforts, our team offered Electric Picnic x Every Can Counts Ireland co-branded t-shirts and keyrings. These exclusive gifts were not just souvenirs; they were made from recycled aluminium, embodying the essence of aluminium’s infinite possibilities.

The impact of our team’s presence at the festival showcased the power of collective action and individual commitment towards recycling. As festival-goers danced to their favourite tunes, they were also inspired to play an active role in protecting our planet. As we look forward to next year’s Electric Picnic festival, we can’t help but highlight the turn of the “I <3 RECYCLING” slogan into a reality.

Drawing inspiration from the iconic Woodstock festival of ’69, the Pol’and’Rock Festival has become a massive gathering, attracting over half a million participants, and it’s a festival unlike any other. 

There are no entry tickets; it’s a celebration open to all, with the primary goal of expressing gratitude to those involved in Poland’s most significant charity campaign – the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation. In this spirit, our local initiative, Każda Puszka Cenna, eagerly joined the festivities for the first time, supporting the cause by collecting 10,000 cans to give back to the environment and the community.

As festival goers enjoyed the music and created meaningful connections, they also had a unique opportunity to learn about the importance of recycling drink cans through the unique setup of the Every Can Counts #PixelCan and the CANMAGEDON, an engaging obstacle course, which represents the nine stages of a drink can’s life cycle.

More than 40 musicians from Poland, Europe, the USA, and even Australia took to the stages for three thrilling days, igniting the festival with their talent. But the Pol’and’Rock festival isn’t merely about the music; it’s an occasion to make a positive impact. Our dedicated recycling ambassadors reached out to tens of thousands of festival-goers, encouraging them to recycle every drink can on the go in their signature backpacks. 

Beyond recycling, they aimed to educate attendees about the energy and resource savings achieved by recycling every aluminium can. Additionally, visitors could participate in fun debates, transforming their empty cans into votes and weighing in on topics like their favourite music genres. In a fitting finale to this remarkable event, all the drink cans collected during the festival were exchanged for brand-new balls, a generous donation that is set to bring joy and excitement to local sports clubs.

The Zimbapark in Bürs, Vorarlberg, recently hosted a fantastic event that showcased the importance of recycling organized by our Austrian team, Jede Dose zählt, along with Ball Beverage Packaging Ludesch GmbH.

The event was fun and engaging, with visitors receiving a wealth of knowledge about the benefits of proper recycling. Ball Ludesch, as a packaging manufacturer, recognizes the significance of recycling and, therefore, teamed up with Jede Dose zählt to create an educational shopping experience for visitors. The XO-Game was a big hit with children and adults alike, providing an interactive way to learn about the energy and natural resources saved when drink cans are disposed of properly.

At the “create your own badge” station, kids could express their creativity by making badges while learning about the importance of recycling. To make the event even more enjoyable, Ball Ludesch offered refreshments for free in their recyclable aluminium cans, which contained delicious apple-flavoured mineral water. By offering visitors a unique experience, the event helped raise awareness regarding aluminium’s infinite possibilities and motivated more individuals to participate in the recycling process.

As the sun shines brightly over the historic city of Prague in August, the air is filled with anticipation and excitement for one of the most awaited events of the year – Prague Pride! For over two years now, our initiative in Czechia, Každá plechovka se počítá, has been an empowering partner of this vibrant festival, which lasts for an entire week with more than 150 events taking place throughout that time. 

Last year marked a turning point for our team as it embraced new opportunities and strengthened its participation through a dynamic collaboration with the renowned international brand Coca-Cola. On a mission to celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and recycling, our ambassadors’ parade marched through the city’s crowded streets, recycling every drink can on the go while spreading the message of unity and acceptance. 

During the end of last year’s parade in Letná Park, visitors had the chance to see up close the signature Every Can Counts installation #PixelCan, which was created from all the collected aluminium cans, highlighting the importance of drink can recycling and the infinite possibilities of aluminium. As attendees shared their experience on social media, the activation got substantial online attention, amplifying the message of drink can recycling at the Prague Pride to an even broader audience. Also, our initiative’s presence at the significant event resulted in extensive media coverage, spotlighting that only together we can make a real difference in reducing our footprint. 

Last year’s achievements were more than just milestones; they opened doors to endless possibilities. As Prague Pride prepares to fill the city with rainbows once again, the involvement of our initiative, Každá plechovka se počítá, promises to make this year’s celebration even more memorable and impactful.

Raising awareness about the importance of drink can recycling, and its many benefits lies at the heart of our mission. In Austria, our initiative, Jede Dose zählt, has teamed up with the Silent Cinema 2023 Tour to educate individuals about the proper disposal of drink cans and encourage active participation in the circular economy wherever they are.

From June to September, the Silent Cinema Tour captivates audiences all over Austria with its enchanting outdoor cinema experience. This unique event brings people together in a delightful and entertaining atmosphere under the open sky. As part of the tour, our team has created a video highlighting the significance of properly disposing of drink cans and how it plays a crucial role in saving energy and natural resources. Because only  when you throw the can in the right bin, it can live on forever! 

Kicking off in Vienna and travelling through all nine provinces of Austria until September, the Silent Cinema Tour is set to draw an impressive audience of over 18,000 people. This presents an exceptional opportunity to spread the message about the importance of recycling aluminium cans. By combining entertainment with education, Jede Dose zählt urges everyone to take meaningful actions towards a more sustainable future. 

Once again, it’s that time of the year when Poland’s most popular concert tour, “Męskie Granie,” takes centre stage to captivate music lovers. And this year, our initiative there, Każda Puszka Cenna, is joining forces with Żywiec Group, the concert’s sponsor, to collect and recycle every drink can during the tour.

The “Męskie Granie” tour has already set the stages on fire in Poznan, Szczecin, Gdansk, and Warsaw, with more exciting performances planned in Wrocław, Kraków, and the grand finale in Żywiec. This festival will last 14 days, spreading the magic of music across seven vibrant cities! Our dedicated recycling ambassadors, equipped with their signature backpacks, are supporting Żywiec Group in championing drink can recycling during the concerts in all locations, aiming to surpass their last year’s achievements. But their mission goes beyond collecting drink cans; it’s about educating visitors on the importance of recycling for sustainability and its positive environmental impact. 

And to achieve it, our team have brought the head-turning Every Can Counts #PixelCan in Warsaw. Festival-goers were treated to a unique experience – the opportunity to participate in creating the mural in real time! This innovative move allowed festival-goers to add their drink can to design a superhero mural of 2,000 recycled drink cans. The installation’s theme is inspired by the main song of this year’s concerts: superpowers!

Last year’s collaboration with Żywiec Group resulted in collecting approximately 40,000 drink cans, amounting to nearly 0.5 tons of aluminium, all successfully recycled. This year’s objective is the collection of even more drink cans! 

Kathe Kouti Metrai took the lead in drink can recycling at the Pozar Festival, Greece’s largest and most popular camping festival, which drew in over 30,000 visitors. This year’s participation was a huge success, with the collection of 23,100 drink cans, amounting to 308 kilograms of aluminium, sent to ELVAL’s Recycling Center for can-to-can recycling. 

For the second consecutive year, the Greek team partnered with AMSTEL beer and the Youth Association of Loutraki to be part of the festival’s 13th edition, held in a unique location surrounded by enchanting forests, waterfalls, and thermal springs. Our recycling ambassadors had a dual mission: encourage people to recycle empty cans to preserve the natural beauty of Almopia and support the Volunteer Association of Platelet, Blood, and Bone Marrow Donors, known as “Prosfora Zois”, through the proceeds from recycling.

The festival showcased the programme’s distinctive recycling innovations, including the eye-catching Every Can Counts backpacks, can-shaped bins for the separate collection of drink cans, and the impressive giant metal letters forming the word #POZAR. This installation not only served as a powerful symbol of the collective effort required to make a real difference but also became the most Instagrammable spot. Additionally, Kathe Kouti Metrai created a video to raise awareness and amplify the recycling cause, showcasing the available recycling points at the festival and emphasizing how simple actions, like recycling drink cans, can significantly impact the environment, conveying the message of “Recycle every can. Have fun. Leave no trace”.

Throughout the festival grounds, all recycling points were easily accessible for attendees to recycle their drink cans on the go effortlessly. The success of this recycling campaign was further reinforced by public announcements on the stage and the video playing on live screens, along with our ambassadors roaming the festival area, educating people about the importance of recycling in saving energy and natural resources.

Raising awareness about the importance of drink can recycling through innovative solutions that are both inspiring and practical is at the core of our mission at Evey Can Counts. And large festivals and events are the perfect place to make it happen,  allowing us to engage with an even wider audience. By combining a three-day music-filled event with recycling, Kathe Kouti Metrai encouraged thousands of individuals to contemplate their environmental attitudes and behaviours.

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As the summer sun graces the picturesque Spanish coasts, our team, Cada Lata Cuenta, is gearing up to embark on an inspiring journey along the sandy shores. Our dedicated ambassadors are set to launch the annual summer recycling campaign to encourage beachgoers to recycle their empties and embrace more sustainable practices to keep the outdoors clean.

With a focus on inspiring thousands of people to change attitudes and behaviours towards drink recycling, our team will travel to the Canary Islands, Andalusia, and Galicia coastal gems. Apart from encouraging vacationers to recycle their drink cans whilst out of home, they will engage even further with them through a series of surveys, gaining valuable insights into recycling habits and helping city councils to pave the way for more improved recycling systems. 

With Spain’s coastal destinations being popular vacation spots, our team seeks to inspire tourists and locals alike to recycle every drink can and enjoy their leisure time on the beach, leaving no trace behind. “We return to the beaches for another year to recycle 100% of the drink cans so that citizens cultivate the habit of depositing their cans in the yellow container, a small action with a great environmental return”, mentioned Pablo García, programme manager of Cada Lata Cuenta and Doctor in Ecology.

In a groundbreaking move towards responsible sampling, Tourtel Twist, a French brand from Carlsberg’s group and the official partner of the Tour de France, has collaborated with our initiative, Chaque Canette Compte, to ensure every drink can is recycled during the famed race. 

After the successful testing in 2022, the partnership was set to impact the annual race significantly. Equipped with their signature backpacks, our recycling ambassadors roamed selected arrival cities, distributing drink cans to the public for free sampling while recycling as many aluminium cans as possible. Also, the programme’s eye-catching #PixelCan was installed in Bordeaux’s first Fan Park to celebrate this milestone in responsible sampling. This live mural serves as a visual reminder of the collective effort required to create more sustainable events. By engaging directly with the public, the activation aims to promote the message of drink can recycling, encouraging individuals to participate in the process actively. 

With an ever more organized approach to the Tour de France, integrated management of packaging sorting and collection in all Fan Parks was renewed and activated, aiming to set an example of environmentally conscious practices and encourage all visitors to follow the lead. Over the last two editions of the Tour de France, Chaque Canette Compte has already sorted and recycled more than 6.4 tons of packaging in the Fan Parks, raising awareness among tens of thousands of spectators about the proper way of packaging disposal. 

By partnering with our French initiative, international brands like Coca-Cola, Red Bull, PepsiCo, and now Tourtel Twist set the stage for an innovative approach to responsible sampling at some of the world’s biggest events.

As the summer heats up in Italy, the collaboration between our team, Ogni Lattina Vale, and Coca-Cola is in full swing, aimed at promoting recycling and environmental sustainability during various music and culinary events with the support of the CIAL Consortium. 

The partnership aims to ensure the collection and recycling of all aluminium cans distributed at numerous events, inspiring a recycling culture when out of the home. With an extensive network of recycling ambassadors, special agreements with local waste management companies, and Live Nation’s support, the campaign’s success has been remarkable.

This year’s summer season, we have witnessed an impressive lineup of events, including Firenze Rocks, Milano Summer Festival, Milano IDays, and an exclusive tour by the renowned band Pinguini Tattici Nucleari. Ogni Lattina Vale’s recycling ambassadors, equipped with backpacks and collection bags, roamed the festivals to ensure the efficient collection of empty cans. Across 25 stages, approximately 830,000 drink cans were consumed, and almost 100% of them were successfully collected and recycled. 

A Long-term Recycling Partnership 

Three years ago, Coca-Cola joined forces with our Italian initiative, Ogni Latina Vale, to champion out-of-home recycling. This shared vision encourages recycling during significant events, including music festivals and even the collection of drink cans at popular beaches. Since 2021, a special summer collection activation has been initiated in Calabria, encompassing 15 municipalities and 100 beaches, in collaboration with the Region and the Marine Parks Authority. This united effort reinforces the importance of promoting sustainability during events and leisure spaces, fostering a sense of collective responsibility towards the environment.

As a supporting partner of our team’s endeavours, Live Nation, a prominent organiser of musical events, has listed Ogni Lattina Vale as one of the pillars of their events’ sustainability. “We are thrilled to collaborate with CIAL and promote the Every Can Counts’ message at our festivals such as Firenze Rocks and I-Days Milano, says Michela Trevisan, Sponsorship Manager of Live Nation Italia. ‘By recycling all the aluminium cans consumed during the festival, we take an important step towards creating a more environmentally friendly event. Together, we can inspire others to embrace recycling in ‘on the go’ and ‘away from home’ contexts.

During the many concert stages held so far and the upcoming activations scheduled for August and September, a dedicated team of recycling ambassadors will be actively present. Their primary goal is to inspire the public to keep clean public spaces and embrace responsible recycling practices. Equipped with their donning backpacks, these ambassadors will collect the empties consumed during the festivals, ensuring they are properly recycled. This proactive approach towards environmental consciousness will be especially emphasised during culinary events like the famous traveling Pizza Village, where the ambassadors will play a key role in promoting the importance of can recycling.

Welcoming people at the entrances to stadiums and arenas with colourful #PixelCan installations, made of more than 2.000 drink cans, the signature mural of Every Can Counts is placed at the centre of the campaign to remind thousands of festival goers about the infinite possibilities of aluminium. Finally, a fun-filled quiz challenged the public to guess the number of pressed aluminium cans included in a can bale with CIAL’s famous Ricicletta, an innovative city bike created from 800 recycled aluminium cans, up for grabs.