PepsiCo announces Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville as the first-place winner of the 2016–2017 nationwide Recycle Rally contest. The school recycled nearly 8.7 million bottles and cans during the school year, which is the highest number recorded in the seven-year history of the Recycle Rally program.
Recycle Rally was formed as part of PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose initiative, which aims to find innovative ways to minimize the company’s impact on the environment. The program is one of PepsiCo’s longest-running initiatives and inspires K–12 students and their surrounding communities to become proud and frequent recyclers. Recycle Rally incorporates the thrill of competition through an online leaderboard and progress tracking tool, and grants participants access to a network of schools from across the nation. The program also equips teachers with educational lessons and helpful resources to recognize and reward recycling achievements throughout the year.
“Recycle Rally has provided more than 2,000 schools across the country the opportunity to make recycling easy, fun and rewarding,” said Tim Carey, senior director of sustainability at PepsiCo. “We are proud to offer leadership opportunities to students who are passionate about making positive changes in the environment. Students at Pine Forest exemplify how Recycle Rally participants can make an impact in their community and beyond.”
Pine Forest students brought the initiative to Fayetteville by spreading the word through radio and television spots, in addition to partnerships with local businesses and the local military base, Fort Bragg. Student leaders recruited more than 50 teachers, parents and volunteers to sort and weigh the materials that ultimately helped to win the $20,000 cash prize.
“Pine Forest students and faculty are honored to receive the PepsiCo Recycle Rally award,” said Principal David Culbreth of Pine Forest High School. “We recognize our students’ hard work and dedication to recycling, and could not be more proud of our collective community for actively joining in the small act of recycling to produce a larger, positive impact on the environment.”
State environmental organizations also recognize Pine Forest’s achievement and the impact students have made on their local community and North Carolina as a whole.
“Our schools play a vital role in recycling efforts across the state, so it’s very encouraging and exciting that Pine Forest is the nationwide Recycle Rally champion,” said Mindy Love, recycling education and outreach coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. “Congratulations to the students and staff of Pine Forest for participating in the Recycle Rally and for their efforts in making recycling an essential part of their school environment. Thank you to PepsiCo for helping to bring attention to the importance of recycling in our schools. We hope Pine Forest will continue to grow and expand their recycling program and highlight their successes in North Carolina.”
For more information, visit PepsiCoRecycling.com/Programs/RecycleRally.