Ryan Hulance: 13-Year-Old Fighting Hunger and Protecting the Planet

Ryan Hulance, a 13-year-old student from Solihull in England’s West Midlands region, has established a recycling operation that has processed an estimated 1.5 million drink cans over a three-year period. Operating under the name One can CIC, a Community Interest Company, Hulance has utilized the venture to raise funds for food banks and other charitable organizations.

The initiative began in 2023 when Hulance started contacting local businesses to request spare aluminum cans for recycling. The project was designed to simultaneously address environmental concerns and provide financial support to those in need.

Operational Scaling and Infrastructure

The scale of the operation has grown significantly since its inception. In the early stages, Hulance collected a few hundred cans per week. To manage the volume and save space at home, his parents initially crushed the cans by driving over them with their car before they were bagged.

Currently, the operation has expanded to include 200 regular suppliers, allowing Hulance to collect 20,000 cans per week. To support this increased volume, the family—who operate a garage—received an industrial crushing machine. This equipment bundles the cans into large metal bales, which optimizes the process for storage, and transportation.

Hulance dedicates approximately 20 hours per week to the business, conducting collections after school and during weekends.

Financial Performance and Charitable Impact

The financial returns of the recycling project vary based on the scrap metal market rates. In the United Kingdom, scrap metal firms pay between 20p and 90p per kilogram of aluminum, which is roughly equivalent to 65 cans. Other reports indicate payments range between $0.27 and $1.20 per 2.2 pounds of aluminum.

The total funds raised through the recycling of 1.5 million cans are reported across different sources as ranging from $18,000 to $24,000. All proceeds have been donated to charity. Specifically, in one year, Hulance collected eight tons of cans that raised approximately $6,000 to $7,300, which was donated to a women’s charity.

I came up with the idea because I wanted to help people and the environment at the same time

Ryan Hulance via SWNS

Regional Context and Future Goals

The recycling effort coincides with a broader waste management challenge in the region. The family has expressed hope that the initiative will provide some assistance to the city of Birmingham, which has faced a recycling crisis resulting from a garbage collectors strike that began in January 2025.

Hulance has set a new operational target to regularly recycle more than one ton of cans per month. His mother, Karima, stated that the operation has already achieved a rate of over one ton per month for the three months preceding the reports, but believes the venture is capable of further expansion.

Despite the time commitment, Hulance has maintained his focus on the social impact of the business. He noted that while he sometimes considers spending time playing video games with friends, he prefers the work because it allows him to assist families in need.