STUDENT COUNCIL—RECYCLING
My kids’ school is encouraging recycling and also helping others. They have started up Can Recycling and have received a cheque for $46.20 for cans collected in their recycling bin. It has been decided that the funds received will be donated to “Wheelchairs for kids”.
This is great – half a wheelchair already. Anyone who would like to recycle their cans and tabs (no need to remove tabs, but helful to crush if you are able) can do so and drop to me at the shop and I will send with the kids to school.
Here is some information from the “Wheelchairs for Kids” website:
(http://www.wheelchairsforkids.org/help.htm)
A considerable number of wheelchairs have been funded with money raised from the sale of scrap aluminium collected by supporters. Virtually any aluminium is worth collecting including old window frames, showers screens, industrial off-cuts but the most common is the common drink can.
Ring-pulls on Aluminium cans are often mistakenly thought to be made of the expensive metal Titanium and were originally thought to be useful in the making of prostheses in third world countries. There is no reason to separate the aluminium ring-pull from its can other than that cans do take up a lot of room unless crushed and may create problems with odours and ants. Many people drop off the cans with ring-pulls attached, at our workshops. Aluminium ring-pulls are a part of our recycling drive, but it takes about 276,000 ring pulls at about $1 per kilo to raise the $100 to build a
wheelchair. Many schools wishing to support our project collect only the ring-pulls and not the cans for the reasons mentioned above. In this way the students are able to be involved and become more aware of the needs of others in developing countries.
Our only collection point for recycling is at our workshops here in Wangara, Western Australia. Generally it is not economical to send any material to us by mail or carrier. Support for the project is best achieved by selling any recyclable metals to a local merchant and sending to us a cheque made out to ‘Wheelchairs for Kids’. Note: Not all ring-pulls are Aluminium. Many ring-pulls from steel pet food and other food cans are steel and of no value. If a magnet attracts the ring-pull then it is of no value. Aluminium is not attracted to a magnet.
The Scrapbook House Blog 
Recycling is a nice idea so that the children will be trained to be diligent in making use of the resources we have in this world especially those things we consider as wastes but actually not. I like also your purpose of recycling, it really helps us a lot.
I’m not doing this in a school however i am collecting and many people around my small town are collecting for me too. Where do i send these and how do i know if my charity has actually helped??
Jessi, I have answered you via email with links to the charity. Keep up the good work!
Where is the nearest place to blacktown where we can drop them off at. As we gave at least 3 – 4 kgs of ring pulls
Brendan, I really don’t know… Where is Blacktown? Perhaps try here http://www.wheelchairsforkids.org/help.htm
and ask. Our school hasn’t done this for a couple of years.
Good luck!
We live in Toowoomba Queensland and would like to know if there is anywhere here to drop off our pull tabs
Anne, I am not sure, this was done through our special needs school a long time ago now (my son is not even at school anymore)
I would hope so! Good luck 🙂
Hello i was collecting ring pulls of aluminum cans but can no longer give them to this person but have heaps to give where can i turn in these sorts of things this is not to cash in at a metal recycle it is i thought for wheel chairs plus other items can anyone answer please iam in nsw australia
Hello I have been saving the ring tops from cans for around 3 years and want to donate them. I live in far North Queensland near cardwell.