Northwestern students living off-campus and Evanston residents have two more days to help the city win up to $15,000 by recycling their aluminum beverage cans.

Evanston is competing in the Cans for Cash City Recycling Challenge, which rewards participating U.S. cities for raising awareness about recycling aluminum cans during October.

The contest, which ends Friday, will give out $5,000 to the four cities that collect the most aluminum cans and another $5,000 to the three cities with the most innovative ideas for spreading awareness about recycling aluminum cans, said Suzette Robinson, Evanston’s director of public works.

The city put up posters about the contest and will have someone dressed up as a can at the Computer and Electronics Recycling Event Saturday at Vineyard Christian Church of Evanston, 2495 Howard St. NU students who would like to contribute their empty aluminum beverage cans to the city’s total can drop them off at the event between 9 a.m. and noon.

Evanston officials pursued the recycling contest because it provides a way to raise awareness about recycling six months after Earth Day, Robinson said.

“In general, anybody can become complacent,” Robinson said. “It’s just a shot in the arm for our recycling program.”

All of the aluminum beverage cans recycled through Evanston’s recycling program during October will be counted as part of the total number of cans recycled, Robinson said.

Unfortunately, cans recycled on NU’s campus do not count toward Evanston’s total, because they get mixed with recycling from other areas, she said.

City officials would like to get NU more involved with the contest in the future, perhaps by providing a container on campus where students can recycle their aluminum cans and have them count toward the city’s total, Robinson said.

The city will not know the number of cans collected during the contest until next week, Robinson said.