One Million Cans Man About Us | Aluminum Can Recycling in Pierce County

Our Story

It started with a simple question: What happens to all the aluminum cans we throw away every day? For Anthony Sturgis, that question became a calling. Walking through the neighborhoods of Pierce County — Tacoma, University Place, Lakewood — Anthony saw what most people overlooked: thousands of recyclable aluminum cans ending up in trash bins, dumpsters, and landfills every single week. He knew there had to be a better way.

On December 1, 2018, Anthony launched 1 Million Cans Man with a bold and audacious goal: collect and recycle one million aluminum cans, one doorstep at a time. No big grants. No fancy trucks. Just a phone number — 747-248-CANS — a pickup service, and an unwavering belief that neighbors helping neighbors could move mountains of aluminum. He started by texting with locals, picking up bags of cans from porches, and personally hauling them to recycling centers. Word spread. Donors multiplied. The can count climbed.

What began as a personal mission quickly grew into a community-wide movement. Families started saving cans. Local businesses set up collection points. Volunteers showed up on weekends. By November 20, 2025, the organization had collected over 1,000,000 cans and built a donor network of 417 households across Pierce County. Every can picked up was logged, every donor thanked, and every milestone celebrated — because Anthony knew that recognition fuels participation.

Today, 1 Million Cans Man has evolved far beyond that original goal. The organization's flagship initiative — The 2 Million Can Challenge — transforms recycling into a gamified, community-driven campaign with leaderboards, rewards dashboards, milestone badges, and real prizes. It's proof that environmental action doesn't have to be boring. It can be competitive. It can be fun. And it can start right in your own kitchen. The movement is just getting started — and there's room for everyone.

Mission & Vision

Mission Statement

1 Million Cans Man exists to mobilize Pierce County communities to collect, recycle, and champion aluminum can recycling through free pickup, accessible drop-off locations, and gamified community challenges. We believe that environmental change starts at the neighborhood level — one can, one neighbor, one block at a time.

Vision Statement

We envision a Pierce County where no recyclable aluminum can reaches a landfill — where every household, business, and community organization is an active participant in sustainable recycling. We are building toward a future where grassroots environmental action is the norm, not the exception, and where community-driven impact is celebrated, tracked, and rewarded.

Core Values

Community First

Everything we do is rooted in neighborhood-level relationships. We show up, we listen, and we build alongside the people we serve.

Environmental Stewardship

We believe every aluminum can diverted from a landfill is a victory for the planet. Small, consistent action creates lasting environmental change.

Radical Transparency

We count every can, celebrate every donor, and share our progress openly. Our community deserves to see exactly where their impact goes.

Gamified Impact

Recycling should be rewarding — literally. We use leaderboards, badges, and incentives to turn environmental action into a challenge worth winning.

Inclusive Action

There's no minimum donation. No barrier to entry. Whether you have five cans or five hundred, you're part of the R.A.C.E. — and you matter.

The Founder

Anthony Sturgis — Founder & Executive Director

Anthony Sturgis is the founder and driving force behind 1 Million Cans Man. Rooted in Pierce County, Washington, Anthony launched the organization with a straightforward vision: prove that one person, armed with a phone, a truck, and an unshakable commitment to community, could change the way an entire region thinks about recycling. From the very first pickup — hauling bags of aluminum cans from a neighbor's porch in University Place — Anthony has been the face, the voice, and the engine of this movement. His hands-on leadership style means he's still out there making pickups, texting donors, counting cans, and celebrating every milestone alongside the community he serves.

Most people throw cans away simply because there is no system encouraging them to do otherwise. He saw this gap and decided to fill it himself. He began driving around Pierce County collecting cans from homes and businesses, hand-counting every single can, logging every donor in a spreadsheet, tracking every pound of aluminum, and using his own car filled with gas he purchased to bring cans to the scrapyard to be weighted, and reinvest the money earned into donor rewards.

Anthony's passion for environmental action is matched only by his belief in people — he's fond of saying that the real power of recycling isn't in the aluminum, it's in the community that rallies around it. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from a one-man operation to a recognized organization with hundreds of active donors and a flagship gamified campaign that's redefining what grassroots environmentalism looks like.

Anthony Sturgis, Founder and Executive Director

Our Journey

From one man's vision to a growing community movement, every can has helped us move forward.

2018

Our Beginning

1 Million Cans Man founded on December 1.

2024

A Huge Progress

First 500,000 cans collected!

2025

Milestone Achieved

1 million cans milestone reached on November 20!

2026

A New Goal

Launch of the 2 Million Cans Challenge!