SOUTH PORTLAND —  For eight weeks this spring, more than 50 local schools competed to collect the most bottles and cans (per enrolled student) in the “Maine Recycles Championship.” The first-ever statewide contest was sponsored by CLYNK, the Maine company that makes it easy to recycle and make a difference, and Hannaford Supermarkets.

The Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club in Newcastle won the grand prize of $2,000 for the first tier category of 400 students or more; the grand prize winner in the second tier, fewer than 400 students, was Crossroads Christian School.

The other first-tier winners were Mallett School in Farmington, winning $1,000 for second place, and Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary in Brunswick, taking $500 for third place. A complete list of school standings and the environmental impact of their recycling is available at www.clynk.com/championship.

According to Clayton Kyle, CEO of CLYNK, the company intends to make the Maine Recycles Championship an annual event.