BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores here announced Friday it is awarding $64,290 to 166 Utah schools that participated in the company’s Kids Recycling Challenge effort, which Wal-Mart called "the largest plastic bag recycling program of its kind ever undertaken." From last September through March, elementary school students in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were encouraged to bring plastic retail and grocery bags to their schools for recycling. For each 60-gallon collection bag filled with plastic bags and brought to a local Wal-Mart store, the school was awarded $5 from Wal-Mart. The 10 schools in each region that brought in the most collection bags received 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 10th places. “As an active leader in the local communities that our stores serve, Wal-Mart is committed to improving the environment, increasing awareness about recycling, and helping our schools get much-needed funding,” said Mike Eppich, manager of the Wal-Mart Store in West Valley City, Utah, in a statement. “It was a thrill to see the principals, teachers and parent volunteers come into the store with their cartloads of bags, and we were all surprised to see just how quickly they added up."
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