Start a Green Club

Many schools collect aluminium cans and foil as a way of combining a practical recycling programme with education about the environment and sustainability. Selling collected material through a local Cash for Cans centre can provide valuable extra resources for schools and parent associations, perhaps to fund more environmental education through books and visits, or to buy plants and tools for a 'green club'.

If your school is looking for ways of combining education on citizenship with environmental issues, you could see if there is a local community project, perhaps providing social employment for people with special needs, who would like to receive donations of aluminium foil and cans.

Top tips for successful collection projects


1. Pupil power! Give project responsibility to the pupils - perhaps start a Green Club - let members decide what to buy with the money raised.

2. Set a realistic target - success breeds success!

3. Use a barometer chart to plot progress towards the target.

4. Communicate! Parents, local businesses and the press can all help, and need to be kept up to date with progress.

5. Give a presentation in school assembly to get everyone collecting. Alupro materials can be used in class to get the environmental messages across.

6. Make it easy for everyone to give their cans for recycling: provide collection containers next to any vending machines, and at the school entrance.

7. Make sure the project is planned and managed efficiently: storage and transport need to be determined at the outset - and how the cash is to be handled!

8. Older pupils could run alucan recycling as a business enterprise project.