Medina Academy Wins National Most Valuable Recycler (MVR) Award and Recycles 47,355 Cans!

Redmond, WA — Medina Academy has earned national recognition as the 2025–2026 Most Valuable Recycler (MVR), receiving a $1,000 MVR Award in the Million Cans Recycling Contest for going above and beyond in promoting recycling education and community engagement, out of 56 schools nationwide.

While the contest celebrates schools that recycle the most aluminum beverage cans, the Most Valuable Recycler Award honors something even bigger—creativity, leadership, and inspiring others to care for the environment.

This year, Medina Academy was selected for translating The Girl Who Recycled 1 Million Cans into Arabic, helping bring recycling education to students and families across the United States and around the world. By making environmental education accessible in another language, Medina Academy demonstrated that caring for our planet has no borders.

A Remarkable Year

Medina Academy students, families, and staff recycled an incredible 47,355 aluminum beverage cans during this year’s Million Cans Recycling Contest.

The school came incredibly close to earning first place overall—finishing just 700 cans short, only about 20 pounds of aluminum away from the top spot.

Although the first-place trophy narrowly escaped us this year, our students proved that determination, teamwork, and environmental stewardship make Medina Academy a national leader.

Internal School Champions

Congratulations to this year’s winning classes!

🏆 Redmond Campus

• • Grade 7

🏆 Bellevue Campus

• • Grade 1 Green
  • Pre-K 2

These classrooms showed exceptional teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the competition.

Looking Ahead

The next Million Cans Recycling Contest officially begins October 1, 2026, but Medina Academy is already preparing for an even stronger season.

Our on-campus recycling dumpster is open now, so students and families are encouraged to continue bringing aluminum cans throughout the year. Every can collected before the competition begins gives Medina Academy a valuable head start.

With only 700 cans separating us from first place, next year’s championship is well within reach.

Every Can Counts

More importantly, this competition is about protecting our environment.

Aluminum is one of the few materials that can be recycled again and again without losing quality, saving enormous amounts of energy while keeping valuable materials out of landfills. Every can recycled helps conserve natural resources and reduces waste for future generations.

Thank you to every Medina Academy student, parent, teacher, and community member who collected, donated, and recycled cans this year. Together, you’ve shown that even small actions can create a lasting impact.

Let’s keep the momentum going—and make 2026–2027 our biggest recycling year yet!

Learn More

To read more about Medina Academy’s national Most Valuable Recycler (MVR) Award and the Million Cans Recycling Contest, click the links below:

• • • Most Valuable Recycler (MVR) Award – Click here to read the national announcement
    • Over 3 Million Aluminum Cans Recycled – Click here to view the official press release highlighting this year’s Million Cans Recycling Contest results.
    • Million Cans Recycling Contest – Click here to learn how schools across America are making a difference through recycling.