More than 2,000 drink containers were recycled by residents and visitors as Every Can Counts Greece joined the Imagine Lemnos Plastic Free initiative, bringing recycling and circularity into one of the island’s traditional summer celebrations.
As part of Imagine Lemnos Plastic Free, Every Can Counts Greece (Κάθε Κουτί Μετράει) and Solagro Smart Recycling brought an interactive recycling experience to the Agia Marina Panigyri in Androni, inviting residents and visitors to recycle during one of the island’s traditional summer celebrations.
Traditional summer festivals, or panigyria, are an integral part of Greek culture, bringing communities together through music, food and celebration. By bringing recycling into this setting, the activation showed how tradition and more sustainable habits can go hand in hand.
Recycle. Win. Support.
Under the message “Recycle. Win. Support.”, the activation brought together the Imagine Lemnos Plastic Free initiative, led by Lemnos Marine Conservation, Every Can Counts Greece, Solagro Smart Recycling, the Municipality of Lemnos and the Androni Cultural Association.
Visitors recycled aluminium drink cans using Solagro’s Digital Smart Flex system and the signature Every Can Counts recycling backpacks, making recycling easier, more interactive and more rewarding.
The award-winning digital recycling system, which received the Innovation of the Year award at the ESG Adria Summit 2025 in Montenegro, provided real-time information on the quantities and types of packaging collected, offering full transparency on the results of the collection. The system is designed to provide a convenient, easy-to-use and traceable recycling solution, particularly for packaging consumed on the go.
Participants recycled their packaging and entered a raffle for prizes offered by local businesses, as well as reusable metal bottles, encouraging more sustainable everyday habits.
The activation was also a great opportunity to highlight why every can counts. Aluminium can be recycled again and again without losing its properties. A drink can recycled today can be back on the shop shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days, while recycling aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy required to produce it from raw materials.
Beyond recycling, those who participated also contributed to environmental education on the island. Every Can Counts Greece will make a donation to Livadochori High School, supporting the environmental work being carried out in collaboration with Lemnos Marine Conservation. Through this contribution, more young people will have the opportunity to actively engage in protecting the natural environment of Lemnos.
Imagine Lemnos Plastic Free: bringing the community into the conversation
The Agia Marina Panigyri activation formed part of the wider Imagine Lemnos Plastic Free initiative led by Lemnos Marine Conservation, bringing together scientists, students, local authorities, businesses and citizens around a shared ambition: reducing single-use plastics and protecting the island’s marine environment.
In the days leading up to the Panigyri, the programme combined expert talks, student films, refill and reuse initiatives, environmental education and community discussions, including a roundtable that brought together experts, businesses and local stakeholders to exchange ideas and explore practical solutions for a more sustainable future for Lemnos.
Every Can Counts Greece took part in this wider conversation, bringing its perspective on recycling, circularity and the role awareness campaigns can play in encouraging behaviour change and keeping valuable materials like aluminium in circulation. The team also headed to Keros Surf Club, one of Greece’s best-known water sports destinations, where the ECC recycling ambassadors got visitors involved in drink can recycling.
From open dialogue and environmental education to hands-on recycling at one of Lemnos’ traditional summer celebrations, Imagine Lemnos Plastic Free showed the power of collaboration and active community participation in protecting the island’s natural environment.
The response from residents and visitors also showed that environmental awareness can become part of the places where people already meet, celebrate and connect.
Eleonora Georga, Mayor of Lemnos, said: “Traditional village festivals are an integral part of Lemnos’ identity and cultural heritage. It is especially important to combine these celebrations with initiatives that strengthen environmental awareness and help keep our island clean and beautiful for both residents and visitors. As the Municipality of Lemnos, we will continue supporting initiatives that encourage citizen participation and contribute to a more sustainable future for our island.”
Jelena Petljanski, Treasurer of Every Can Counts and Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager for Central and Eastern Europe at Ball Corporation, said: “What makes this initiative particularly interesting is that it brings recycling into a very authentic part of everyday life on Lemnos. A traditional panigyri may not be the first place people associate with innovation, but that is exactly where solutions like Smart Flex can make a difference: making recycling easy, accessible and rewarding while providing transparency on what is collected. Together with Every Can Counts and Solagro, we wanted to show that new technology and local tradition can work side by side — and help keep valuable materials such as aluminium in circulation.”
Eirini Topouzidou, Programme Manager, Every Can Counts Greece, said: “The strong participation from residents and visitors showed that people respond when recycling is accessible and connected to a positive experience. And we saw here on Lemnos that it can work with three key ingredients: innovation, awareness and a simple incentive. The smart digital system also offered a first glimpse of how the Deposit Return System (DRS) could become part of outdoor events in Greece in the coming years. The real opportunity is to turn moments like this into recycling habits that last beyond the event.”
