The 2025/26 Return-It School Contest Results Are In!

With another successful school year come to a close, Return-It is proud to celebrate the outstanding schools recognized in the 2025/26 Return-It School Program Story Contest. Across British Columbia, students, staff and communities demonstrated how recycling can support both environmental stewardship and meaningful school initiatives. Their inspiring stories highlight the positive impact that collective action can have both inside and outside the classroom.

Through the Return-It School Program, students gain hands-on experience with environmental stewardship while raising funds for initiatives that benefit their schools. From supporting extracurricular activities and field trips to enhancing school resources, recycling efforts continue to create meaningful opportunities for students across the province.

The 2025/2026 school year was marked by innovative stories that demonstrated how recycling can bring communities together and support important causes. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to every school that submitted an entry this year and congratulate our three winning schools.

1st Place & Best Video Award

G.W. Graham Secondary School (Chilliwack)

G.W. Graham Secondary School captured both 1st place and Best Video Award with their inspiring "Para los Bebés / For the Babies" bottle drive.

The initiative was created to support the Paediatric Center at Chilliwack Hospital, with funds going toward specialized medical equipment for babies requiring additional care. Students launched the project through a friendly bottle collection competition between two classrooms before expanding it into a community-wide campaign.

To spread the word, students designed posters and distributed flyers throughout the neighbourhood to encourage community participation. Their efforts demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to helping others while promoting recycling.

The judges were particularly impressed by the creativity shown in the video entry which earned the school the bonus prize for best video.

"It takes initiative to build a community, all to support those in need. We all thrive off meaningful connections and helping hands through life. With help like this from Chilliwack’s growing community, the babies in need of support will get to live healthy lives and become a part of their community in time." - ALXNNA, G.W. Graham Graduate & Local Recording Artist

"I'm very grateful that we won money for babies in the hospital because my brother was in the hospital for two weeks as a three-month-old and also in the children's hospital ICU. This was an amazing way to give back to nurses and doctors that did so much for our family." - Delaney, Student, G.W. Graham Secondary School

2nd Place

Noel Booth Elementary School (Langley Township)

What began as a simple bottle collection initiative quickly grew into a school-wide movement at Noel Booth Elementary.

Students and staff worked together to collect refundable beverage containers from classrooms and homes, with students helping to sort and organize the materials before returning them to the bottle depot. Through their efforts, the school collected an impressive 9,820 containers and raised $939.20.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the initiative is an important educational opportunity, teaching students’ responsibility and teamwork. Funds raised through the program are being used to help transform the school's courtyards into welcoming outdoor spaces for students to enjoy.

The judges were inspired by the strong student involvement and the way the program has become embedded in the school's culture.

"What began as a simple bottle collection initiative grew into a school-wide effort that empowered students to make a visible difference in their community. Through recycling, our students learned that small actions could create meaningful change while helping transform our courtyards into vibrant outdoor learning spaces.” - Brianna Tolnay, Teacher, Noel Booth Elementary

3rd Place

Westsyde Secondary School (Kamloops)

Westsyde Secondary School earned 3rd place for its ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and community involvement.

Throughout the school year, leadership students collected and recorded recyclable beverage containers on a weekly basis, helping divert thousands of containers from landfill. Their efforts resulted in approximately 22,035 containers being recycled and raised $1,662.86.

The funds have supported student participation in the BC Secondary School Leadership Conference, allowing three student delegates and one teacher to attend and develop valuable leadership skills. The school hopes to continue expanding the initiative to provide similar opportunities for future students.

The judges praised Westsyde's organization and focus on creating a lasting effect by encouraging responsible recycling habits throughout the school and community.

“This first year of our recycling initiative proved that teamwork and small actions can have a lasting impact. The students were inspired by our role as a UNESCO school and took over the returnable recycling as a student group for the first time in many years at our school. With nearly $2,000 raised this school year, the funds helped support school spirit, strengthen community, and will help student leaders grow through experiences like being able to attend the BC Student Leadership Conference.” - Kendra Hallstrom, Leadership Teacher, Westsyde Secondary

Thank you to every school that participated this year and shared their innovative recycling programs with us!

Your hard work has turned recycling into a community-wide effort, showing how recycling beverage containers can make a meaningful difference. Your dedication has not only reduced waste but has also raised valuable funds for great causes.

We hope all students across BC enjoy a safe and well-deserved summer break and that the recycling habits learned throughout the year continue during their time off. We look forward to next year’s Return-It School Program and the new and exciting stories from the next school year.

Lastly, thanks to all the judges that helped pick this year’s winners.

• Nicolas Bragg, Chief of Staff to the Honourable Tamara Davidson, Ministry of Environment and Parks

• Andreas Wins-Purdy, Director, Ministry of Environment and Parks

• Waheema Asghar, Environmental Management Analyst, Ministry of Environment and Parks

• Jane Butterfield, Board of Directors, Encorp

• Jamie Sayers, Managing Director, Communications & ESG, Pattison Food Group / Board of Directors, Encorp

• Lucinda Phillips, Executive Director, Indigenous Zero Waste Technical Advisory Committee (IZWTAG)

• Tim Ames, Manager, First Nations Recycling Initiative (FNRI)

• Christoph Schultz, Executive Director, Recycling Council of BC