Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Brings Successful Recycling Program to Elementary Schools in Twelve States.
Local Elementary School Students Learn Life Lessons About Recycling While Earning Cash for Their Schools
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart's message of recycling has been extended to elementary-age students in the western U.S. and its own home state. The Wal-Mart Kids Recycling Challenge, a private/public partnership between Wal-Mart and elementary schools, will help students earn money for their schools by recycling plastic shopping and grocery bags.
The Kids Recycling Challenge debuted in February 2005 in Sacramento, Palm Springs, and Salt Lake City, and expanded across the entire state of California earlier this year. Due to its success, Wal-Mart has extended the program to 12 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, the entire state of Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, and plans to further expand it across the country in the Fall of 2007.
The Kids Recycling Challenge is the most successful plastic bag recycling program of its kind. More than 1,000 schools have enrolled in the program and have recycled over 350 tons of plastic bags, earning more than $327,000 to date from Wal-Mart.
"The Wal-Mart Kids Recycling Challenge teaches children how to become responsible stewards of their environment by limiting waste items that can be recycled from our landfills," said Nicole Anderson of Wal-Mart. "The program brings immediate ecological benefits to our communities, educational benefits to our children, and financial benefits to our schools. We are excited to bring the program to new areas."
How the Kids Recycling Challenge works
Upon joining the program, schools receive collection bins and a supply of 60-gallon collection bags from Wal-Mart. Students are then encouraged to bring plastic retail and grocery bags to their schools for recycling from now to March 30, 2007. For each collection bag the school fills with plastic bags and brings to a local Wal-Mart store, Wal-Mart will donate $5.00 cash to the school
Schools are grouped into geographic regions, and will compete against other elementary schools in their region. The ten schools in each region to bring in the most collection bags will receive additional cash grants from Wal-Mart: $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third place, and $250 each for fourth through tenth places. Additionally, the top school in each region will be rewarded with an entertaining and educational school-wide assembly performance, courtesy of Wal-Mart.
