Every Can Counts (ECC) is a not-for-profit communications programme funded by the drink can industry.  Their mission is to inspire people to recycle their drink cans, with the vision that every can across Europe should be recycled.

ECC works with UK events and festivals to engage people with drink can recycling in a meaningful way by creating recycling ‘activations’, which both add to an attendee’s overall event experience and aim to deliver messages that will resonate well beyond the event itself.  In 2019, Every Can Counts delivered 30 activations across a wide range of UK events, including Download Festival, Boomtown Fair, 2000trees and the Tough Mudder endurance event series.  So how do they do it?

ECC create can cage installations (pictured) to give a visual focus to the recycling taking place at an event, and to provide fun photo opportunities for festival-goers. They offer recycling rewards to incentivise people to recycle more – including co-branded t-shirts in return for recycling a whole sack of cans. ECC use fence panel displays and video content on large screens to deliver a comprehensive communications campaign within the event, ensuring audiences have repeated exposure to key recycling messages.

ECC provide on-site teams to have in-depth conversations with festival-goers about the benefits of recycling.  The team bridges the gap between attendees and the event’s waste and recycling infrastructure. ECC found that when this gap is left unaddressed, audiences can be left confused about what to do with their recyclable items and are less aware of the event’s environmental initiatives. The ECC team carry ‘Can Backpacks’ which act as mobile can collection points, making recycling at the event even easier, and they conduct recycling surveys as they go, gathering valuable feedback and giving festival goers a voice to express their opinions on the event’s environmental credentials.