Can-do attitude: Community Cans eyes 10K lbs.
Mike Mullikin stands next to one of the piles of aluminum cans waiting to be hauled away and redeemed. The money raised from can collection is donated to various causes in the community. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)
By Steve Van Kooten
Do you know how much an empty 12-ounce can of soda weighs? The answer is approximately 0.04 lbs. It’s a fraction of a fraction in terms of weight.
But for Mike Mullikin, the driving force behind Community Cans in Wauzeka, each can is one small piece that adds up toward a monumental goal.
“Our goal this year is 10,000 pounds,” he said. “This is the fourth year for can collection. The first year, we had about three-quarters of a semi-load and brought in $2,800; the second year, we had about a semi and a quarter [that] brought in $3,200; and the third year we had a semi and three-quarters and that brought in a little under $4,000.”
Community Cans redeemed 7,820 lbs. of cans in March 2024. Over the past three years, the nonprofit has raised approximately $10,000, and all of it has gone back into the community.
Up in the Wisconsin hills outside Wauzeka, on a farm overlooking Crawford County, Mullikin has two piles of cans that might as well be mountains. At the end of March, the cans will be loaded onto trailers and sent to a recycling center in Richland Center. The money will then be donated to various causes in the community.
In past years, the money has been donated to the Wauzeka-Steuben School District, Wauzeka Fire Department, Wauzeka First Responders and the Wauzeka Veterans’ Memorial.
“That’s another thing we’re trying to do with this money going back to the school system and the village. We’re trying to get the residents and kids helping out,” Mullikin said. “Every penny goes to fund community things.”
When it comes time to load the cans, community members come out to the barn and start taking down those mountains one bag at a time. According to Mullikin, he had nearly 20 volunteers this past March, ranging from four years old to 70.
“Everything is volunteer: from the people donating [cans] to the people doing the work, everything is 100 percent donated,” Mullikin said.
Community Cans also receives help from Richardson Trucking to get the trailer to take the cans in, Bassett Trucking to provide the semi to transport the trailer and numerous local taverns and restaurants, who donate their cans to the cause.
“That is a big help; without them I’d never be able to generate this much,” Mullikin said.
In the Wauzeka area, there are three donation sites for the public to use: one in Steuben, another in the Wauzeka Township Recycling Center and the third along the state highway. Mullikin spends several hours a week making his rounds, including pickups from places like Boscobel, Mount Zion and even Prairie du Chien. He has also helped clean out barns, garages and other properties.
“I’ve had some people call me, and we’ve gone and cleaned out places for them. If anybody has got a storage of a bunch of cans, we’ll come and get them. We’ll clear them out,” he said.
As loading day gets closer on the calendar, Mullikin can see the goal is within reach.
“We’ve got about three weeks to go before we load them up, and we’re just encouraging people,” Mullikin said. “With everyone’s help, we can reach 10,000 lbs.”
To contact Mullikin, call 608-379-3438.
