On June 4 2026, ahead of World Environment Day, our Czech chapter, Každá plechovka se počítá, held a recycling engagement activation at Riegrovy Sady Park in Prague. Moving into another year of successful collaboration with the Prague 2 Municipality, the initiative focused on turning environmental awareness into action by promoting sustainable on-the-go recycling habits.
The activation centred around the established Every Can Counts metal heart collection point, encouraging passers-by to recycle their empty drink cans right on the spot. To elevate the educational impact, the Every Can Counts Czech team introduced an interactive opinion wall. This setup engaged citizens in meaningful dialogue about aluminium can recycling and the broader topic of the Deposit Return System. Meanwhile, our ambassadors with the iconic backpacks were on site, collecting drink cans and reminding attendees that every can recycled helps keep aluminium in the loop. In fact, recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy needed to produce it from raw materials.
Každá plechovka se počítá also established a new strategic partnership with local beverage producer Prager’s, which offered non-alcoholic beverages in aluminium cans to the visitors. At the same time, the ECC recycling ambassadors were helping people recycle their empty cans throughout the event, guiding them from consumption to proper recycling in the metal heart infrastructure.
The biggest attention driver, however, was the debut of Canny, a character costume made entirely from cans. Canny drew significant attention both through the striking visual appearance and the distinctive rattling sound of the cans, prompting many people to stop, engage and take photos. Passers-by were eager to capture selfies with Canny and the character was an instant hit with children, who were especially curious to find out whether there was “a real person” inside the costume.
The activation was once again supported by Jan Recman, Deputy Mayor for the Environment of Prague 2, who publicly backed the installation of the ECC metal heart in Riegrovy Sady.
Tereza Gyurjánová, Czech Republic Director of Každá plechovka se počítá, stated: “Our goal is to show that recycling makes perfect sense even when we are on the move. By installing the heart-shaped collection point in Riegrovy Sady, we want to make sorting as easy as possible for the public and demonstrate that every correctly recycled drink can truly counts.
Každá plechovka se počítá achieved significant nationwide visibility, putting recycling in the spotlight. The campaign secured a dedicated feature on the national public broadcaster, Czech Television (ČT), providing our Czech chapter with the opportunity to raise broader public awareness and once again elevate the discussion around the Deposit Return System at a nationwide level. The campaign also secured a front-page photo feature in Metro, Prague’s most-read daily newspaper.
Watch the highlights: