A major recycling campaign under the slogan “BE THE RECYCLING SUPERSTAR”, carried out at this year’s EXIT Festival as part of the Green EXIT platform, delivered outstanding results: a total of 48,693 packaging units were collected over four days, including an impressive 22,995 cans—almost half of the total
A significant contribution came from the international project “Every Can Counts”, which has been successfully implemented by Ball Corporation at festivals across Europe for years, including EXIT. Through innovative collection mechanisms and direct engagement with festivalgoers, the project was further strengthened and digitalized this year.
The results speak for themselves: recycling has become part of the festival spirit.
The largest amount of packaging was collected through the advanced Smart Flex Return system, where 40 mobile promoters equipped with special backpacks and scanners collected as many as 43,144 packaging units during the festival. An additional 2,782 units were registered by TOMRA recycling machines, placed at key locations throughout the venue.
“This year, we collected an incredible 23,000 cans for recycling, which is 50% more than last year, and even 130% more compared to 2022. This shows that young people recognize the importance of proper packaging disposal and the potential of cans as a valuable resource. Once again, EXIT has proven that fun and sustainability can—and should—go hand in hand,” said Nemanja Marjanović from the “Every Can Counts” project.
In addition to the advanced collection systems, the project also drew attention with its visual installations—most notably the recognizable Pixelata, an art mosaic made from recycled cans, and the “I Love Music” illuminated installation, which used light effects and a counter to highlight the number of cans collected.
Total structure of collected waste:
-
Cans: 22,995
-
Single-use plastic cups: 12,418
-
PET bottles: 1,295
-
Reusable cups: 32
“Ball Corporation, a global leader in aluminum packaging production, together with the ‘Every Can Counts’ program, has been part of EXIT Festival for years with a clear goal—to raise awareness about can recycling and prove that aluminum is a resource that can be recycled almost infinitely,” said Jelena Petljanski, Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager for Eastern and Central Europe at Ball Corporation.
EXIT Festival and the EXIT Foundation have been running this campaign for the fifth year in a row through the Green EXIT platform, in cooperation with Ball Corporation under the “Every Can Counts” program, with support from partners HEINEKEN Serbia, Ekostar Pak, Coca-Cola, Solagro Smart Recycling, and TOMRA.
Ball Corporation has been participating in EXIT for 19 years alongside the Recan Foundation, with the goal of reducing packaging waste and promoting recycling.
