Small but mighty: Burnaby Youth Hub wins Return-It competition

The Burnaby Youth Hub (BYH) showed up in a big way for the Return-It 2022/2023 school contest and walked away as winners of a $5,000 cash prize on June 20.

The school placed first in the high school category, securing the win through the development of its own beverage container recycling program.

The school collected 3,001 beverage containers, using the slogan “Return it to earn it!” as they campaigned to collect recyclable materials within the school. The students developed an educational recycling campaign that included comic-style informational handouts and creating a life-sized mascot out of recyclable materials.

The campaigns were created after students had group discussions about environmental issues and the importance of implementing action to combat climate change.

The prize money will be going towards funding a local field trip in Fall 2023 that would focus on environmental conservation education.

One part of BYH’s recycling campaign was the creation of a mascot. The BYC mascot, which was named Garbeth, was derived from existing Return-It characters and was created jointly by BYC and Royal Oak Secondary School.

Their campaigns focused on Garbeth, who was made of recyclable materials and found objects within the two schools.

The 2022/2023 contest included over 259 schools across BC and awarded first and second-place prizes to the elementary school winners and the high school winners.

With the closing of the 2022/2023 contest, the Return-It School Program finishes its 23rd annual competition, which makes all registered BC schools eligible to receive free educational content and resources to use in classrooms.

The Story Contest, which the BYH participated in, allows students across BC to create unique programs, initiatives, and campaigns that show their passion for recycling.

The Return-It School Program is free to join, and Return-It encourages schools of all sizes to apply to and make a difference in their communities.