Meadow with flowers

Cans for Corridors is a global effort started by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in 2002. The Akron Zoo partners with Durrell to send money raised through Cans for Corridors to IPE, a non-profit organization in Brazil. These funds are used to strategically plant native trees and reestablish tree corridors in the Brazilian rainforest.

Tree corridors are used by many different animals, such as tamarins, jaguars, capybaras, birds and more, to move from area to area. Without these tree corridors, animals are more susceptible to natural disasters and population mobility is decreased, lowering genetic diversity and leading to smaller population sizes.

With Cans for Corridors, aluminum cans are collected at the Akron Zoo and recycled. Proceeds from recycling are used to purchase native trees to replant and connect patches of the rainforest in Brazil.  One tree only cost 75 cents, which is the equivalent of 45-50 aluminum cans.

All zoo guests and visitors are invited to participate in Cans for Corridors at the Akron Zoo. Drop off your aluminum cans in the recycling chute in the center of parking lot C anytime throughout the year, and zoo staff will do the rest! With your help, we can help plant trees and ensure the continued survival of several endangered species that call the rainforest home.

All pop/beer cans must be separated from aluminum cat food cans. Please bag each type of can separately.

2023 By the Numbers

  • $2,037.74 raised
  • 2,717 trees were planted in the Brazilian rainforest

Overall Totals

Since the program began here at the Akron Zoo in 2015:

  • $12,347 raised
  • 16,462 trees planted in the Brazilian rainforest

The Akron Zoo Cans for Corridors effort is coordinated by the Akron Zoo Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK).