New Brunswick schools are continuing to make a difference in their communities by making sure beverage containers are collected and returned to their local redemption centre for recycling instead of being tossed away. As Encorp’s Recycling Heroes in School program wraps up its third year, we’re excited to share that the 105 schools that participated collected more than 1 million beverage containers for recycling over the course of the year.
Altogether, that adds up to over $100,000 raised – funding that the schools can use to support programs and create more opportunities for their students.
Rewards for Recycling
As part of the program, Encorp recognizes the top five performing schools based on the number of containers returned per student. This year’s results were measured from September 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026.
Thanks to the commitment and hard work of students and staff, the following schools earned a place in the top five for the 2025–2026 school year:
- Académie Notre-Dame (Partner redemption centre: Billy’s Bottle Exchange in Dalhousie)
- Deer Island Community School (Partner redemption centre: Charlotte County Can & Bottle in St. George)
- École Blanche-Bourgeois (Partner redemption centre: Cocagne Variety in Cocagne & Saint-Antoine Bottle Exchange in Saint-Antoine)
- Belleisle Regional High School (Partner redemption centre: Norrad’s Bottle Exchange in Sussex)
- Rothesay High School (Partner redemption centre: Golden Mile Redemption Centre in Saint John)
Each of these schools received a $1,000 prize. After chatting with some of the winners, it’s clear how helpful this funding will be. Schools are planning to use it in a variety of ways, including helping graduating students with their grad fees or supporting outdoor learning experiences for their students.
To show our appreciation to schools making the effort to recycle, Encorp also gave away bike racks to four randomly selected schools in the program. These will be delivered at the start of the next school year!
Program Updates
For the past few years, we’ve calculated top-performing schools based on containers returned between early September and the end of April. This timing ensures that we’re able to get rewards out to schools before the end of the school year.
That said, we know many schools keep collecting and returning containers in May and June – and some even continue through the summer.
With that in mind, starting in the 2026–2027 school year, we’ll be shifting to a May-to-April tracking period. This means we’ll count containers collected from May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027 for the next school year. This change will make sure schools get credit for ALL the beverage containers they collect throughout the whole year rather than just part of the school year.
Beverage Container Recycling Educational Resources
Just a quick reminder for teachers: last year, Encorp partnered with The Gaia Project to create a lesson plan for grades 3–5 focused on beverage container recycling in New Brunswick. This resource, ReFundamentals, is available for free on The Gaia Project’s website.
We’re excited to be working with them again this year on a new lesson plan for grades 6–8, which will be released this fall. We’ll send out a notice to schools in the program when it’s ready.
And remember – these resources are free for everyone, not just schools participating in Encorp’s program.
Looking Ahead to the 2026-2027 School Year
A big thank you to all the schools that took part in this year’s program. Your efforts are helping ensure recyclable materials don’t go to waste! We’re looking forward to working with you again next year.
If your school isn’t part of Encorp’s Recycling Heroes in School program yet, applications for the 2026–2027 school year will be available later this summer on our website. Participation is free, and Encorp provides supplies and some funding to help support your recycling efforts.
You can find the application here: https://encorpatl.ca/recycle/recycling-hero-programs/school-recycling-program/
