Green Can Awards

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Friends of Wombwell Park win Green Can Award
Friends of Wombwell Park win Green Can Award 2560 1704 PedroUK

The hard efforts of a Barnsley based community group has resulted in worthy recognition; the ‘Friends of Wombwell Park’ have been awarded a Green Can Award for the steps they have taken to introduce recycling facilities to Wombwell Park. 

Previously there were no recycling bins anywhere in Wombwell Park and park users had to dispose of all materials in general waste litter bins.  The Friends of Wombwell Park saw an opportunity to increase recycling rates and set about forging a partnership with the recycling programme, Every Can Counts.  There are now drink can collection points set up throughout the park, making it easier for the local community to recycle their empty cans when they are out and about.  The group has raised awareness about these new recycling points by displaying Every Can Counts posters and signs around the park, as well as actively promoting the new facilities on social media.

In addition to the environmental benefits of recycling drink cans, the group is harnessing the value of aluminium to raise funds for further improvements to the park.  The money raised by recycling the cans collected is put towards various projects to benefit park users, including improvements to the popular skatepark area.

Carmel Seston, Recycling Champion for the Friends of Wombwell Park, said: “We had a wonderful afternoon at the presentation of the Green Can Award.  It was well attended by members of the local community and provided an opportunity for sharing ideas on the expansion of this project to include a wider area and a greater range of recycled materials.  The Every Can Counts programme provides a focus for community groups to work together to promote recycling.  By working together, we have helped to inspire positive behaviour change in the local area by promoting recycling behaviours, and it’s fantastic to have this recognised with a Green Can Award.”

Chris Latham-Warde, Every Can Counts Programme Manager, said: “It’s inspiring to see the work the Friends of Wombwell Park have done to engage the local community with recycling behaviours.  By establishing can collection points in the park and raising awareness of the many benefits of recycling drink cans, the group is tackling some of the most common barriers to recycling and inspiring more people to do the right thing with their empty cans.”

Since setting up can recycling points in the park, the group collects around 250 drink cans every week and continues to use this recycling activity to raise funds for further improvements to the park.

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Beach Guardian wins Green Can Award for Recycling
Beach Guardian wins Green Can Award for Recycling 2560 1707 PedroUK

Beach Guardian based in Padstow, Cornwall have received a national recycling award for their outstanding work in recycling drink cans and raising awareness of the impact to the environment by people not recycling.

The Every Can Counts Green Can Award has been awarded to Beach Guardian co-founders – father and daughter duo Rob Stevenson and Emily Stevenson.

Beach Guardian was established in 2017 and organises voluntary beach cleans, on average one every week with around 25 people volunteering.  Litter and marine plastics are collected, taken back to their Lab in Padstow where it is sorted and cleaned, to take into schools in Cornwall and run art and educational workshops.

They also engage with businesses and organisations to encourage their staff to volunteer and to reduce their reliance on unnecessary single use plastics. This has meant getting retailers, shops and takeaways to switch from drinks in plastic bottles to drinks in cans, including brands such as Life Water and Canowater. Beach Guardian have used social media to regularly post about their activities. This has encouraged people within Cornwall to save and recycle their cans which has meant a huge increase in awareness amongst the various coastal communities.

Recycling bins have been distributed throughout Cornwall to the Council, cafes and shops, including outdoor ones at the Falmouth Maritime Museum, Old Macdonald’s Farm and Rick Stein’s restaurants in Padstow and Newquay. Beach Guardian have teamed up with Henry Orchard and Sons to recycle all the drink cans collected.

Henry Orchard says “Here in the UK we recycle twice as much as we did 15 years ago, but there’s still a long way to go. We’re proud to do our bit with our involvement with Every Can Counts and Beach Guardian, as well as our own safe and efficient metal and waste electricals processing. We have been taking in aluminium cans and giving a donation to the Beach Guardian project for every bag we receive as part of this initiative.”

Presenting the award Kate Cole Programme Manager for Every Can Counts says “It is an honour to present a Green Can Award to Beach Guardian. This is a fantastic example of how collecting and recycling drinks cans and other metal packaging not only generates much needed funds it also makes a significant contribution to the environment.”

Rob Stevenson Co-Founder and Director of Beach Guardian says “We would like to see every business switch from selling drinks in Plastic Bottles to Aluminium Cans. Even with the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, plastic bottles can only be recycled up to 18 times whereas Aluminium can be recycled and used again and again to make new packaging and Aluminium is endlessly recyclable cutting down on waste and saving energy too.”

Every Can Counts is a free to use recycling initiative that aims to increase the number of drinks cans recycled, whether at work or while out and about.

The programme aims to increase the number of drinks cans recycled, whether at work or whilst out and about, by providing practical advice and support, including free communication materials and help with finding a recycling collection partner.

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Foil for Snappy wins Every Can Counts Green Can Award
Foil for Snappy wins Every Can Counts Green Can Award 2560 1709 PedroUK

Foil for Snappy based in York have received a national recycling award for their outstanding work in recycling drink cans and other aluminium packaging.

Foil for Snappy was created by Karen Nash in December 2012 to help raise funds for The Snappy Trust.  The Snappy Trust, formerly known as Snappy (Special Needs Activities and Play Provision for York), is a registered charity supporting children and young people with wide ranging disabilities, from across the York area and was originally set up back in 1985.

The Every Can Counts Green Can Award has been awarded to Karen Nash and her Foil for Snappy project in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the initiative.  The project collects drink cans, foil and household cables for recycling.  The material is sold to L. Clancey & Sons – an aluminium recycling centre based on the outskirts of York in Murton.  Since its establishment Foil for Snappy has recycled over 7 tonnes of aluminium material, raising £5000 for The Snappy Trust.

The Foil for Snappy project has gone from strength to strength over the years and now operates over 50 collection points across York in a variety of locations, including supermarket car parks, community buildings and local businesses.

Presenting the award, Chris Latham-Warde, Programme Manager for Every Can Counts, said “Karen has achieved brilliant results since starting Foil for Snappy.  Thanks to Karen, York residents have the opportunity to support an important local charity whilst also doing the right thing for the environment by recycling their drink cans and other aluminium packaging.  The project’s work is of benefit to both the local community and the wider environment, so it’s a privilege to present Karen with this Green Can Award.”

Karen Nash, the Project Leader for Foil for Snappy, said “The Snappy Trust supports over 300 children with additional needs including my own son.  By recycling what others throw away we are fundraising for them and saving the planet at the same time which is very satisfying.  I never imagined that asking friends of Snappy to collect a few Christmas drink cans and mince pie cases to raise a little bit of extra money could become a city-wide aluminium recycling collection.  I am very proud of what we have achieved and to receive this national award in recognition of our hard work is very special.”

Anne Stamp, Service Manager at The Snappy Trust said “We are incredibly grateful for the Foil for Snappy project.  Not only has it raised awareness for The Snappy Trust but also for the environment, so much so that even the young people who attend Snappy have become more responsible with their cans.”

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Eco-Workshop celebrate winning a Green Can Award
Eco-Workshop celebrate winning a Green Can Award 2560 1652 PedroUK

Eco-Workshop (based in Clifford Chambers, Stratford upon Avon) have received a national recycling award for their outstanding work in recycling drink cans and raising funds for charity.

The Every Can Counts – Green Can Award has been awarded to Eco-Workshop who are a local social enterprise that was set up 5 years ago to provide opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and autism. Attending ECO (enterprise, community, opportunity) Workshop gives varied, purposeful work and meaning to the participants, enabling them to become part of the local work community.

The material recycled over the last three years has amounted to 370kg of aluminium (26,270 cans crushed so far) and continues to grow and grow.

Eco-Workshop has gathered a lot of local support and customers from a variety of sources including supermarkets, community collection points and local businesses.

Presenting the award Kate Cole Programme Manager for Every Can Counts says “It is an honour to present a Green Can Award to Eco-Workshop. This is a fantastic example of how collecting and recycling drinks cans and other metal packaging not only generates much needed funds it also makes a significant contribution to the environment”.

Catherine Adams, Director – Eco-Workshop says “Collecting, sorting and crushing used drinks cans has and continues to be a very popular work activity for the team and our local community. We have enjoyed working with Every Can Counts who gave us very helpful initial guidance and continue to give us ongoing support. We are so proud that since 2015, 370kg of cans have been collected and taken to our local metal merchants for recycling, which equates to 26,270 cans crushed so far!”

Every Can Counts is a free to use recycling initiative that aims to increase the number of drinks cans recycled, whether at work or while out and about. The programme aims to increase the number of drinks cans recycled, whether at work or whilst out and about, by providing practical advice and support, including free communication materials and help with finding a recycling collection partner.

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