Can Manufacturers Institute’s Great American Can Roundup School Challenge Participants Recycles More Than 146,500 Pounds of Aluminum Beverage Cans
WASHINGTON, DC—May 19, 2016—Riverton Alternative High School in Wyoming takes top honors in the sixth annual Great American Can Roundup (GACR) School Challenge. Twenty-two students collected and recycled an average of 400 pounds of aluminum beverage cans each to win this year’s award. Collectively, schools from 35 states recycle more than 146,500 pounds of aluminum cans.
Sponsored by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), nearly 23,700 students participate in the 2015-2016 challenge, which ran from Nov. 15, 2015 (America Recycles Day) through April 22, 2016 (Earth Day). More than 28 of the competing schools collected 1,000 pounds or more aluminum beverage cans.
Riverton Alternative High School will receive $5,000 as the GACR national champion, along with an additional $1,000 prize for coming in first place in the state. The school in each state with the most pounds of aluminum recycled per student also receive a $1,000 prize for their achievements in recycling.
“The GACR recycling program creates an environment of community pride, social responsibility and develops collaborative relationships by fostering a work ethic in our students,” said Fremont County School District Director of Special Education Dallas Myers. “Sustainability of our resources has never been more important. The GACR opportunity allows students to develop a ‘participatory’ mind set of civic responsibility, community pride and active engagement in an activity that does make a difference, recycling.”
Second place in this year’s GACR School Challenge is awarded to another Wyoming school: Roosevelt Learning Center, whose 14 students collected and recycled more than 2,200 pounds of aluminum beverage cans.
The State of Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality representative Craig McOmie congratulated the Riverton High School and said, “In an era when national attention is rightfully focused on the conservation of natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations, the GACR award highlights the possibilities that can be achieved through concerted group efforts.”
CMI created the GACR to build awareness of the environmental benefits of recycling cans. At 50-cents-per-pound for recycled aluminum cans, competing schools raised more than $73,000 to put towards school activities, local charities, special causes and community outreaches of their choice.
“Students participating in the CMI recycling challenge are learning the importance of recycling and the integral part it plays in the environment,” said CMI President Robert Budway. “They also learn the value of aluminum cans, which stems from its unique characteristic of being 100 percent recyclable. Once recycled, cans are back on a store shelf in as little as 60 days. This closed-loop recycling process has kept millions of tons of material out of landfills. In fact, 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use with an impressive 68 percent average of total recycled content.”
For more information about the can’s sustainability attributes, visit cancentral.com/sustainability.
For more information about the Great American Can Roundup, visit www.canroundup.com.
2015- 2016 Great American Can Roundup School Winners by State
Alabama: Holy Family Regional School, Huntsville
Arizona: Sonoran Science Academy, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson
Arkansas: Quest West Middle School of Little Rock, Little Rock
California: Believe! Manteca/Redwood High School Campus, Stockton
Colorado: Flagstaff Academy Charter School, Longmont
Florida: St. Andrew Catholic School, Orlando
Georgia: Midway Middle School, Midway
Hawaii: Hanalei School, Hanalei
Idaho: Skyway Elementary School, Coeur d’Alene
Illinois: Kidz Korner, Chicago
Indiana: Forest Ridge Academy, Schererville
Kansas: Newton Bible Christian School, Newton
Louisiana: Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, Kenner
Maryland: Crellin Elementary School, Oakland and Chesapeake Public Charter School, Lexington Park*
Massachusetts: Lynch Elementary School, Winchester
Minnesota: Mabel-Canton School, Mabel
Missouri: Saint George Catholic School, Hermann
Montana: Fortine School, Fortine
Nebraska: Christ Lutheran School, Columbus
New Hampshire: Epsom Central Elementary School, Epsom
New Jersey: Weymouth Township School, Dorothy
New Mexico: Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School, Albuquerque
New York: P.S. – 149 The Danny Kaye School, Brooklyn
North Carolina: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School, Rocky Mount
Ohio: Wilcox Elementary School, North Ridgeville
Oklahoma: Perkins-Tryon Elementary School, Perkins
Pennsylvania: Central High School, Martinsburg
South Carolina: Taylors Elementary School, Taylors
Tennessee: Sacred Heart Elementary School, Loretto
Texas: Greenhill School, Addison
Vermont: Champlain Elementary School, Burlington
Virginia: Northern Neck Montessori School, Kilmarnock
Washington: Secondary Academy for Success, Bothell
Wisconsin: Saint Paul Lutheran School, Bonduel
Wyoming: Riverton Alternative High School, Riverton — National Recycling Champion Winner!
*There was a tie in Maryland due to technical issues.