FIXING CARS FOR THOSE IN NEED

COMMUNITY Collecting enough empty drink cans to buy a car may sound impossible, but the residents of Mooloolah Valley in Queensland, Australia, know it isn’t. Since 2018, the non-profit Cans for Cars has been fixing up used vehicles and donating them to those in need—using only recyclables to raise funds.

Knowing that drink cans can be recycled for 10 cents apiece, 41-year-old mechanic and Cans for Cars founder Sam Tucker began collecting them from locals. It took 40,000 cans and 18 months to buy the first car, a 2001 Ford Fiesta. Tucker paid around $260 (₹21,647) for it and spent a further $1,100 (₹91,587) on replacement parts before donating it to a non-profit supporting women in crisis. So far, Cans for Cars has bought, repaired and donated 18 cars.

At first, Tucker drove around the neighbourhood in search of people in need of a car. Soon, people began sending tips for candidates, including a family who lost their home to flooding in 2022. “I supplied this young mother with a car, which helped her get a job and her kids to get to school,” he says.

Tucker plans to build a workshop to serve as headquarters. “It is really having an impact at the ground level,” he says. “That’s why I believe Cans for Cars has had the success that it has.”