11-Year-Old Wins 529 Pounds Aluminum Recycling Contest

Just how long does it take to accumulate 529 pounds of recyclable aluminum? For 11-year-old Alan Wenstrom of Norwood, the answer is about a year and a half of dedicated collecting.

The payoff for his hard work? Twenty-five genuine silver dollars as the grand first-prize award in the Reynolds Aluminum Recycling Company’s Silver Dollar Contest, alongside receiving the standard 17 cents per pound payout for the recycled metal.

A Family Effort Rooted in Civic Pride

Alan, an elementary school student in Norwood, didn’t initially set out to win a contest. “My mother decided we’d collect the cans… to keep America beautiful,” he explained.

With his mother planting the seed, Alan and his father embarked on a systematic collection effort. Most of the scavenging took place right on the streets of Norwood, supplemented by strategic trips to the parking lot of Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro the days immediately following major sporting events.

Storage quickly became a logistical feat: the massive pile of aluminum was stashed away in Alan’s grandparents’ garage in Norwood. Furthermore, Alan had a built-in intelligence network, noting that his three older sisters kept him closely informed about parties their friends were hosting so he could swoop in and collect the empty soda cans.

Alan entered the contest just a week before the October 1 deadline, admitting with a grin, “I didn’t expect to win.”

Contest Winners and Future Plans

While Alan captured top honors, other regional recyclers also took home prizes:

First Prize: Alan Wenstrom, 11, of Norwood (529 pounds) — 25 silver dollars plus 17 cents per pound.
Second Prize: Omer J. Allain of Waltham (455 pounds) — 15 silver dollars plus 17 cents per pound.
Third Prize: Ronald Lugton, 17, of Needham (335 pounds) — 10 silver dollars plus 17 cents per pound.

As for his winnings, Alan plans to deposit the majority of his cash prize into a bank account, though his father will hold onto a few of the silver commemorative coins as a proud souvenir of the competition.

Will he do it again next year? Alan says he hasn’t ruled it out, hinting that he might start hitting the streets and parking lots again next spring when the weather turns warm.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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