Hate litter? So do we!

Especially when it comes to beverage containers. There is no excuse for beverage containers – which are meant to be recycled or refilled and reused – to end up as litter! In fact, our “Be a Recycling Hero” campaign, held every year since 2020, urges New Brunswickers to step up for their province – and the planet – by ensuring no empty beverage container ends up as litter.

Everyone has seen at some point beverage containers carelessly left as litter on the side of the road, on sidewalks, beaches, trails, in parks, and in other outdoor spaces. Being a “Recycling Hero” means having a zero-tolerance policy for littering, speaking up when you see someone littering, and making sure always to recycle your empty beverage containers.

Thanks to our Community Cleanup Grants, you can be a Recycling Hero by organizing a cleanup event in your community. Give your favourite beach, park, playground, or other public outdoor space some love by getting a few friends, schoolmates, colleagues or fellow residents together to pick up litter. Don’t forget to recycle any empty beverage containers – and other recyclable materials – you may find!

Our Community Cleanup Grants are a perfect fit for:

• teachers, student groups and school green/environmental committees that want to organize a cleanup event for their schoolyard or any other outdoor public space students frequent – as a way to enhance environmental education and promote anti-litter awareness;
• not-for-profit organizations, community groups and municipal/town citizen-led committees that want to get their fellow citizens involved in a beach sweep, a park or playground cleanup, a trail cleanup, etc., all the while building community connections and fostering appreciation and respect for public outdoor spaces.

Grants will be rewarded on a first-come-first-serve basis. Since the number of available grants is limited each year, our team evaluates all applications and strives to award grants to a variety of organizations and regions across the province. As there are a limited number of grants, priority will be given to applicants who have not received a grant in the last two years.

If you are part of an organization that already received a grant in the past, but would still like to organize a community cleanup event, we would encourage you to partner with another organization that has not already received a grant. Co-applying for a grant with this partner would allow you to receive and share the resources needed to organize a cleanup event, and would get even more people involved in keeping New Brunswick litter-free.

Cleanup events can take place in the spring, summer or fall. 

Apply for a Community Cleanup Grant and Receive $500 for Your Event!

If selected, you will receive a $500 cheque from Encorp Atlantic to help cover the costs associated with organizing and promoting your cleanup event. Use this money to:

• buy supplies such as garbage bags, recycling bags/bins, litter pick up sticks, etc.; 
• advertise your event and recruit participants; 
• get event t-shirts, hats or any other giveaways for your participants;
• cover the costs of any logistics involved, such as renting vehicles to carry supplies and dispose of litter collected; and/or
• supply your participants with water and refreshments.

Along with your $500 grant cheque, Encorp will support your cleanup event by:

• supplying your group with official Recycling Hero pins and other fun swag;
• ensuring you know what to do with the litter you pick up during the cleanup (where to dispose of materials and which materials are recyclable);
• linking you to a local redemption centre so that beverage containers you may find while doing the cleanup – if in good shape – can be collected separately and brought in for a cash payment; and
• showcasing and promoting your group and its efforts as official #RecyclingHeroes on our website and social media.

Recycling Hero Community Cleanup Grant Application Form

Our 2024 Recycling Heroes

School-led Initiatives:

• Anglophone East School District Science Team (Moncton)
• Meduxnekeag Consolidated School (Woodstock)
• Mosaïque du Nord (Balmoral)
• Grand Manan Community School (Grand Manan)
• Deer Island Community School (Fairhaven)
• Harbour View High School (Saint John)
• Princess Elizabeth School (Saint John)
• Hampton Middle School (Hampton)
• Barnhill Memorial School (Saint John)
• Sir James Dunn Academy School (St. Andrews)
• Beaverbrook School (Moncton)
• Jacquet River School (Belledune)
• École Carrefour Beausoleil (Miramichi)
• École Mathieu-Martin (Dieppe)
• École Antonine-Maillet (Dieppe)
• École Léandre-LeGresley (Grande-Anse)
• École Soleil Levant (Richibucto)
• École Carrefour de la Jeunesse (Edmundston)
• École Donat-Robichaud (Cap-Pelé)
• École Blanche-Bourgeois (Cocagne)

Not-for-profit organizations/community-led initiatives:

• Co-Action (New Bandon Gloucester Co)
• Community Living Center (St. George)
• Yoho Lake Association (Yoho)
• Minto Community Youth Center (Minto)
• Empower to Ride (Penobsquis)
• Jemseg Lions Club (Coles Island)
• Fredericton Botanic Garden Association (Fredericton)
• Municipalité de Grand-Bouctouche (Bouctouche)
• Le groupe de développement durable du Pays de Cocagne (Cocagne)
• Centre de prévention de la violence (Sainte-Anne-de-Kent)

Our Past Recycling Heroes

Recycling Heroes – Success Stories

We post stories from the field from our Recycling Heroes – the recipients of our Community Cleanup Grants – as they come in!

You can also check our Facebook page for stories and photos from #RecyclingHeroes like you organizing cleanup events in communities across the province.

More information

Encorp’s Community Cleanup Grants are part of our commitment to environmental education and promoting beverage container recycling in New Brunswick, through various innovative campaigns and public space/special events recycling programs, known as “Recycling Hero”.

Our Recycling Hero campaigns and programs focus on reducing litter in our province’s beautiful outdoor spaces, supporting beverage container recycling in schools, and helping communities use beverage container recycling as a way to raise funds.

Inquiries on Recycling Hero campaigns and programs can be directed to our office:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 506-389-7332