Ryan Hulance, a 13-year-old from Solihull in England's West Midlands, has recycled an estimated 1.5 million aluminium cans and raised around £18,000 for local food banks and charitable causes.
According to a Mileway report, which has supported Ryan's We Can CIC initiative, he has recycled more than 1.5 million cans and raised around £18,000 for local food banks. The company said Ryan carries out the work alongside school and spends up to 20 hours a week collecting, sorting and crushing cans.
The project has grown considerably since Ryan began collecting cans from businesses in his local area.
How Ryan started collecting cans
Ryan began collecting cans when he was 10. The Solihull Observer reported in February 2023 that he had started collecting cans in November 2022 after researching recycling centres that bought empty cans.
He contacted businesses, cafes, pubs and neighbours and asked them to give him cans they no longer needed. The money from the recycled cans was then used to purchase items for local food banks.
In the early stages, Ryan collected only a few hundred cans each week. According to a March 2026 report published by Talker News, his parents helped him save space by crushing the cans by driving over them with their car before Ryan bagged them.
