The Every Can Counts (ECC) Campaign is a European Initiative is committed to a more sustainable future and positive behaviour change around beverage can recycling. The fourth edition of the International Recycling Tour kicked off last week on 5 June, World Environment Day, in 16 cities across Europe, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
In the Netherlands, ECC teams took to the streets of The Hague on Saturday 8 June with one common mission: to encourage people to recycle cans outdoors and on-the-go.
The importance of beverage can recycling
The International Recycling Tour highlights the crucial importance of recycling beverage cans, saving valuable resources and combating climate change. Indeed, by recycling aluminium, 95% of the energy needed to produce new cans can be saved. This contributes significantly to reducing CO2 emissions.
International Recycling Tour activities
From Wednesday 5 June, dedicated ECC teams will be fully committed to the mission of the International Recycling Tour: to promote the recycling of outdoor beverage cans. In 16 different countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, ECC teams will head out with their backpacks and explore bustling cities, vibrant city parks, popular beaches and busy festivals. Their aim is to encourage people to recycle their empty cans more on the go.
In line with this year’s World Environment Day theme – #GenerationRestoration – the International Recycling Tour 2024 is also making a bold visual statement in some countries with PixelCan installations. Made from more than 2,000 aluminium cans, these artworks highlight endangered animals such as the polar bear, tiger, sea turtle and chimpanzee, symbolising the fragility of our natural world.
Activities in The Hague
On Saturday 8 June, Every Can Counts in the Netherlands kicked off the International Recycling Tour 2024 in the Zuiderpark in The Hague. After this, the Dutch ECC team took their backpacks to the Binnenhof and the Kurhaus in Scheveningen to collect empty cans on-the-go for recycling and inspire people to do the same.
Global impact and vision for the future
To keep global warming below 2°C, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by almost half by 2030. The mission of Every Can Counts and the urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions align seamlessly.
“Our aim is to recycle 100% of beverage cans globally. Every recycled can will be back on the shelf within 60 days. Campaigns like the International Recycling Tour bring us one step closer to achieving this goal. Campaigns like this show the power of collective action in creating a circular economy that benefits both people and nature,’ said David Van Heuverswyn, director of Every Can Counts Global.
Every Can Counts operates in 21 countries and works with beverage brands, waste management companies and local authorities to achieve 100% recycling of beverage cans. By 2023, Every Can Counts reached 183.5 million people worldwide and helped recycle more than 55 million cans.
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