Customers of SPAR in Hungary donated the cash refund from 200,000 aluminium cans between March and December 2022 in order to sponsor summer camps for underprivileged kids.
The Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, a dependable charity partner of SPAR Hungary, started the effort to donate the reimbursement to a cause in March. A total of HUF 1 million was raised through the effort, and more than 3 tonnes of recyclable aluminium was gathered.
Customers were encouraged to bring their empty aluminium cans to one of the recycling machines that were placed at select SPAR and INTERSPAR locations across the nation.
“Because of the programme known as “Minden Doboz Visszajár” (which translates to “Each can gets repaid”), the cans that have been returned can be put to two different uses.
Aluminum can be recycled, and the donations make it possible for hundreds of impoverished children to go on vacation throughout the summer, according to Márk Maczelka, who is the Head of Communications at SPAR Hungary.
Over the course of more than 25 years, SPAR Hungary has collaborated with the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta. When the opportunity to donate was made accessible to customers returning aluminium cans as part of this unique project in March 2022, a new benchmark was reached in this relationship. This was the moment when the donation option became available.
2021 saw the return of 20 million cans to over 30 machines located in SPAR and INTERSPAR stores.
These cans weighed 320 tonnes and represented 2% of the total amount of aluminium cans that were sold on the Hungarian market. The number of aluminium cans that have been recycled has increased to over 220 million since the first automated collecting system was installed about a decade and a half ago. Customers return an average of 20 million cans annually to these machines.
Source:Â SPAR Hungary
Read more about SPAR Hungary.
About SPAR Hungary
The first SPAR Supermarket opened in Hungary in 1992, following the acquisition by ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) of a majority stake in General Kereskedelmi Rt. Since its launch, SPAR Hungary has been actively involved in developing the country’s retail industry.
The licensing of independent retailers to operate the SPAR Brand in Hungary has proven successful. The retailers benefit from access to SPAR Own Brand products and expertise, while consumers enjoy the increased number of store locations.
SPAR Hungary is one of the country’s largest employers, with nearly 18,000 team members. SPAR Hungary runs a network of over 610 company-owned and independently-run stores. The retailer’s online platform is available in Budapest and over 50 surrounding municipalities.
