Académie Notre-Dame is one of many schools in New Brunswick participating in Encorp’s Recycling Heroes in School program – a recycling program aimed at helping schools in the province recycle their deposit-bearing beverage containers. Their dedication and effort throughout the 2023-2024 school year made them one of the top 5 performing schools in the program! Through an effective recycling program and plenty of recycling education, Académie Notre-Dame managed to recycle more than 82,000 beverage containers during the school year!
Young Recycling Heroes Hard at Work!
At the core of Académie Notre-Dame’s success was the dedication of its fifth-grade class, the school’s Recycling Ambassadors. These students managed the collection and preparation of deposit-bearing beverage containers for recycling at their local redemption centre, Billy’s Bottle Exchange.
The Recycling Ambassadors strategically placed recycling bins throughout the school to ensure every student and teacher had easy access to recycling. From classrooms to the teacher’s lounge, and larger bins in the cafeteria, these placements encouraged constant participation.
The students were actively involved from start to finish, conducting weekly cleaning routines to ensure all containers were properly sorted and washed, preventing issues like fruit flies and contamination. The school also has a dedicated recycling room equipped with a large sink and aprons where students can clean and sort recyclables, including refundable beverage containers. This hands-on approach not only reinforces the importance of recycling, but also equips students with practical skills and a sense of responsibility.
These Recycling Ambassadors also chose to go the extra mile by consistently educating their peers on beverage container recycling through presentations and announcements, fostering a school-wide culture of sustainability.
A Strong Partnership with Billy’s Bottle Exchange
A key element of Académie Notre-Dame’s recycling program was its partnership with Billy’s Bottle Exchange. This collaboration made the recycling process so much quicker and enabled the involvement of the broader community. Community members were able to drop off their deposit-bearing containers directly at Billy’s while choosing to donate their deposit refunds to the school. This community support significantly boosted the school’s recycling efforts.
Maximizing Encorp’s Support
As part of the Recycling Heroes in School program, the school was eligible for a stipend from Encorp. In September and January, Académie Notre-Dame received $150 to support their beverage container recycling initiatives. The funds were used in different ways, including purchasing additional recycling bins and rewarding students with pizza parties for their hard work and dedication. For the 2023-2024 school year, they invested in creating personalized mugs, promoting the use of reusable water bottles and reducing disposable cup waste to meet additional environmental goals within the school.
As one of the top 5 schools in the Recycling Heroes in School program, Académie Notre-Dame was also eligible to choose one of the many fun eco-rewards Encorp has to offer. As their reward, the Recycling Ambassadors chose to receive an outdoor gardening kit, including a raised garden bed, a composter, and a rain barrel, which they’ll be able to use to grow their garden for years to come!
Inspiring the Community
Académie Notre-Dame’s impressive recycling efforts serve as an inspiration. Their recycling program demonstrates the power of student leadership, community involvement, and strategic use of resources. Encorp is proud to support such initiatives and looks forward to seeing even more schools join the Recycling Heroes in School program, contributing to a greener and more sustainable New Brunswick.
If your school isn’t part of Encorp’s Recycling Heroes in School program but you would like it to be, you can find all the information about the program along with an application form on our school program page.
