This year, 792 schools in Texas collected over six million plastic bags as part of H-E-B’s annual School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge
As part of its annual Earth Day celebration, H-E-B will give away 274,000 free reusable bags to customers across Texas. Beginning at 8 a.m. on April 22, customers who visit any H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop and Mi Tienda in Texas are eligible to receive a complimentary Earth Day bag, while supplies last. Since 2008, H-E-B has given out more than 3.2 million reusable bags in celebration of Earth Day.
This year, the bag’s design resembles a nostalgic postcard from Texas featuring scenery from Galveston Island State Park. It marks the second installment in a three-year series. Customers can purchase additional Earth Day reusable bags for $1.50.
As an added Earth Day surprise, one lucky customer will be picked at random from each store to receive an annual Texas State Parks pass.
As an added Earth Day surprise, one lucky customer will be picked at random from each store to receive an annual Texas State Parks pass.
The Earth Day tote highlights the H-E-B Our Texas, Our Future commitment, which is the company’s mission to increase awareness and education around sustainability efforts that help preserve land, water, and air in Texas. Throughout the year, H-E-B is committed to reduce its impact on the environment through waste diversion efforts along with several other programs to help conserve and protect our great state, now and for generations to come.
During Earth Month and throughout the year, H-E-B has multiple ventures aimed at supporting clean-up opportunities and waste reduction efforts across its business and among its customers.
Through H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment, the retailer is sponsoring the Trash Free Gulf campaign, which gives Texans an opportunity to participate in over 40 litter cleanups in every major watershed and along the coastline to work towards a Trash Free Gulf. During April and May, Texans can find opportunities and volunteer for a cleanup event by visiting trashfreegulf.com.
School Plastic Bag Challenge
From March 4 through April 4, students from hundreds of classrooms across Texas collected thousands of pounds of plastic bags as part of H-E-B’s Annual School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge. This year, 792 schools in Texas collected over 6.7 million plastic bags for the challenge, surpassing the previous record of 5 million bags collected in 2024. The schools that collected the most plastic bags will receive H-E-B gift cards as prizes.
This year’s winners are:
Border Region
- Early Childhood Center, Eagle Pass
- Margot Elementary School
- John & Olive Hinojosa Elementary School
Central Texas Region
- Jim Plains Elementary School
- Emile Elementary
- Colony Oaks Elementary School
Gulf Coast Region
- Windsor Park Elementary School
- Flour Bluff Elementary School
- Flour Bluff Intermediate School
Houston Region
- Robertson Elementary School
- Nottingham Country Elementary School
- Memorial Parkway Elementary
North West Region
- Academy of the Arts at Bransom Elementary
- Harry McKillop Elementary School
- Academy of Nola Dunn
San Antonio Region
- Rose Garden Elementary
- Fields Elementary
- Escondido Elementary
This year, the Early Childhood Center in Eagle Pass was the school that collected the most plastic bags in the state with a total of more than 406,000, which far outweighs the 97,000 bags they collected last year. Frances Zapata, the P.E. coach for the school, said she showed the Pre-K and kindergarten students videos about recycling and motivated them with pizza parties, stickers, prizes, and early recess. Each day, the eager students brought in bags in bunches, and each day, the teachers would count the bags by hand, keeping a running tally to make sure they met their goal, which originally was 100,000 bags.
This year, the Early Childhood Center in Eagle Pass was the school that collected the most plastic bags in the state with a total of more than 406,000, which far outweighs the 97,000 bags they collected last year. Frances Zapata, the P.E. coach for the school, said she showed the Pre-K and kindergarten students videos about recycling and motivated them with pizza parties, stickers, prizes, and early recess. Each day, the eager students brought in bags in bunches, and each day, the teachers would count the bags by hand, keeping a running tally to make sure they met their goal, which originally was 100,000 bags.
“Some kids would walk through their neighborhoods with wagons, knocking on doors to ask for bags, or asking their neighbors for bags as they unloaded groceries from their cars,” said Zapata, who has taught at the school for 10 years. “They were all excited to do this, and they see the good in it. They were jumping for joy and very excited to see their work pay off and that they had a hand in helping clean up our community.”
Because H-E-B Partners (employees) are committed to taking their own steps to beautify Texas, many have volunteered at outdoor events, tree plantings, and community cleanups throughout Earth Month and on Earth Day. H-E-B stores across the state also will host in-store events to celebrate Earth Day with their customers and communities. To celebrate this Earth Month, H-E-B also has partnered with local organizations that provide opportunities and raise awareness around sustainable practices. Events can be found on the H-E-B community events calendar.
H-E-B customers also can support sustainability efforts through its annual donation campaign, which runs through May 6 and benefits H-E-B Trees for Texans, an effort in partnership with Texan by Nature to plant native trees at schools and throughout communities. Customers can join in the effort to help plant native trees across Texas and donate at H-E-B registers in store and online when placing Curbside and Home Delivery orders.
Since 2012, H-E-B has contributed more than $20 million to over 500 environmental organizations in land and water conservation, habitat and coastal preservation, and community cleanups.
