Baked beans meant more than just a meal for one lucky student when they were turned into an iPod.
Hannah Donahue, from West Herts College, was picked at random as the winner of an iPod Shuffle after recycling a baked can.
The competition was run by Dacorum Borough Council and the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership to encourage students across the area to get into the habit of recycling.
Hundreds of students were invited to take a free can of baked beans from the Dacorum and Kings Langley campuses of West Herts College. After using the beans, they had to recycle the can in a special bin at either of the campuses for a chance of winning a prize.
The top prize of an iPad2 went to Shaun Fincher, of the University of Hertfordshire, while Hannah, 18, from West Herts College, won the second prize of an iPod Shuffle.
Hannah said: “Every time we recycle, we are playing a big part in helping to save the earth’s natural resources. Everyone should play their part in recycling.”
Julie Laws, Dacorum Borough Council’s portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said: “The great baked bean tin give away was an enterprising way of encouraging students to recycle, and I hope this practice now becomes second nature.
“There are plenty of recycling facilities that are easily accessible – for example, in student accommodation and even in the town centre – so there’s no excuse for forgetting.”
The 2,000 cans of beans used in the competition were donated by Asda.