ABCRC Launches On-Campus Back-to-School Contest

CALGARY , Sept. 16 /CNW/ - The Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC) is giving post-secondary students in Alberta a chance to win some amazing back-to-school prizes by collecting and returning empty beverage containers to any one of the approximate 212 Bottle Depots across the province.

ABCRC's "Don't Be a Tosser" campaign launched in March 2009 with TV, radio, newsprint and a heavily focused social media networking site, www.dontbeatosser.com. Now, this province-wide back-to-school contest is aimed at getting 18 - 25-year-old students to recycle empty beverage containers. The student or student group with the largest Bottle Depot receipt at the end of the contest will win a ski weekend at Lake Louise for 20. All participants are also eligible to win an Apple MacBook Pro laptop computer as an additional draw prize.

"We see the contest as a win-win for everyone," says Guy West , President of ABCRC. "It's good for the environment, it's good for beverage container return rates in Alberta, and it's a fun way for students to start building the habit of beverage container recycling - not to mention the chance to win some great prizes."

The cheeky "Don't Be a Tosser" campaign was developed to draw attention to the behaviour that sees so many Albertans not recycling their empties. It is intended to stigmatize this socially unacceptable behaviour much like has been done with drunk driving, smoking and non-use of seatbelts. The campaign seeks to shift personal responsibility of recycling to each and every one of us in the hopes that tossing empties in the garbage will stop. Employing humour, social media networking tools, unique "Tosser lingo" and now a much targeted contest, the campaign hopes to encourage students on campus to take responsibility for their actions, and own the solution to increasing beverage container recycling.

"We wanted to take our message to where students live and play," added West. "We also believe our message is a positive and unique one, with easy benefits to us all. Where better to connect with so many of our target audience, with a message that we hope will stay with them for the rest of the school year?"

The contest began August 31, 2009 and runs through until October 19, 2009 , with on-campus support by the ABCRC Recycling Street Team at more than a dozen post-secondary schools in Alberta. The campaign also includes student newspaper and radio ads, posters, targeted on-campus signage, sponsorship of back-to-school on-campus key events and concerts, giveaways and, of course, www.dontbeatosser.com for full contest details.

About ABCRC

ABCRC is a provincially incorporated not-for-profit product stewardship corporation. Their mandate is to be the agent for the beverage manufacturers to operate a common collection system for registered containers, to be responsible for recycling beverage containers, to comply with regulation and BCMB by-laws, and to promote the economic and efficient collection of beverage containers (www.abcrc.com).

For further information: Guy West, President - ABCRC, [phone] x233, [email protected]; Cherie Cohen, VP, Communications & Marketing - ABCRC, [phone] x223, [email protected]