Fans at last month's World Rugby Classic drank their way through the equivalent of 122,880 cans of liquid during the week long sporting event.

Organisers recycled the beverage containers for the first time this year — ending up with 1.92 tons of material.

The Ministry of Works and Engineering — which had invited the public to celebrate Bermuda Recycles Week — said recycling the containers would help to reduce global fossil fuel consumption by some 34 barrels or 1,870 gallons of oil.

Students at 11 schools did their part for the environment too — with 2,848 youngsters collecting 20,536 aluminium cans, weighing 590 lbs, in the space of a week for the Ministry's Schools' Aluminium Can Drive Contest.

A Ministry spokeswoman said it was equivalent to the energy savings of 314 gallons of oil, that would otherwise have been used in the manufacture of new cans.

She said: "The recycling of cans uses far less fossil fuel and produces less waste than creating new aluminium cans from raw materials.

"Additionally, recycling reduces the amount of cans that end up needlessly in Bermuda's Tynes Bay Waste to Energy facility, where they contribute to machinery malfunction which reduces energy generated from waste."

East End Primary and Dellwood Middle School collected the most in the public school system and Learning Express was the best private school, in both the primary and middle school categories. The winning schools from each category get $1,000 from the Ministry and all schools taking part receive a Bermuda cedar seedling from Save Open Spaces.

Ten people who took part in the Ministry's kerbside recycling contest won prizes of dinners and lunches at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Lobster Pot Restaurant and other gifts.