Habitat for Humanity collects cans

A friend you know threw an apartment party a few nights ago.

When she woke up, came downstairs, she found empty to half-empty cans -- everywhere. Wouldn't it be great if those cans could just disappear?

After sending an e-mail, those cans could actually disappear. Habitat for Humanity International began a new initiative, Cans for Habitat, to collect cans from apartments or dorm rooms for donation.

Habitat for Humanity began promoting this project the same week the University of Richmond began its RecycleMania program, so the group has gone largely unnoticed. Cans for Habitat collection does not affect RecycleMania and the weight of the cans recycled through the initiative will be reported to RecycleMania to make sure the study includes the cans in its report.

"RecycleMania is just trying to get everyone to recycle," said Matt Wentworth, student president of Habitat. "Our program works hand in hand with the same idea."

Although Habitat was not aware that its cans project would overlap with RecycleMania's mission, Wentworth said he hoped the two programs could coexist.

"I just want everyone to know that by donating to us, they can actually help both causes," he said.

Habitat has had some trouble getting the word out about Cans for Habitat since RecycleMania began because "we both have the same goals," said Julianne Mulhall, director of fundraising for Habitat, "except RecycleMania has a lot more money to fund its project for both advertising and means for collecting recyclables."

The Bonner Center for Civic Engagement has given Habitat $300 to fund its project. In the end, the project donations will go toward building "can huts" in parking spots across campus where people can donate their cans, Mulhall said. Habitat has advertised the initiative with banners in the Tyler Haynes Commons, SpiderBytes and flyers handed to students living in the apartments. It plans to advertise again once the can huts are in place, letting students know that Habitat will come collect their cans or they can drop them in the can huts themselves.

Habitat developed the cans initiative into a semester-long competition on campus, so students will also have a chance to win prizes by donating. The apartment that donates the most aluminum cans will win a one-week Y-lot parking pass and the dorm room with the most cans will win a $25 Cellar gift certificate.

The cans can be in any condition -- crushed, cracked, etc. -- and will be taken to Habitat's local affiliate where they will then be delivered to participating aluminum recyclers. Richmond's Habitat chapter will receive about $0.01 per can, which will go toward helping people in the affordable-housing industry. Mulhall said she hoped this would lead to the collection of tens of thousands of cans by the end of the semester.

Although this program is new to Richmond, it began in 1997 as a national partnership between the Aluminum Association and Habitat for Humanity International and has been taking place in colleges, high schools and other non-profit groups for years. Wentworth said he hoped Richmond's Habitat chapter would hold these contests every semester if there were enough responses.

"The idea simply made sense for us," Wentworth said, "considering the number of cans consumed on an average college campus."

To donate cans, e-mail a time and date for pick-up to julianne.mulhall@richmond.edu.

Contact reporter Sharon Tully at sharon.tully@richmond.edu