If you have empty beer or milk bottles at home, do not throw them away! Did you know that you can return empty beverage containers to a Bottle Depot for a refund?
Yes! Believe it or not, when you buy, for example, a bottle of beer, you actually pay a deposit. After consuming the beer, you can take the empty beer bottle to a Bottle Depot. There, you return the bottle and receive a refund of that deposit you paid.
Why do we recycle beverage containers?
It reduces waste and helps keep our communities clean and sustainable. Recycled containers are turned into a wide range of useful items. Plus, it puts money back in your pocket!
What containers are refundable?
- Bottle Depots only accept empty beverage containers previously purchased in Alberta. In a nutshell, if you bought the product in Alberta and you drank from the bottle, you can take it to a depot.
- Bottle Depots do not accept containers for other things, e.g. cooking oil, vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, etc. For these containers, check out Calgary’s Blue Cart Recycling Information.
- Read the detailed List of container types and refunds.
How much refund can I get?
The amount of the refund is only based on the size of the container, not the material it is made from:
- 1L and less: 10 cents per container;
- larger than 1L: 25 cents per container.
Anything I should do before visiting a Depot?
- Rinse the containers to reduce odor and germs. Do not crush cans or bottles.
- You can leave labels and lids on plastic containers, but you should remove other extra packaging materials (such as plastic rings, carton boxes, …).
- Before you leave your home, sort out the containers by size or type. This can help shorten the time you spend at a Depot.
- More guidelines: https://albertadepot.ca/depot-guide/
Where can I find a Bottle Depot?
Go this link and find a bottle depot that’s close to you: https://albertadepot.ca/find-a-depot/
Word of the Day:
Sustainable: able to be kept at a certain level. We use “sustainable” a lot when it comes to saving the environment. When we say a practice or a method is “sustainable”, we mean it’s done in a way that does not permanently damage the resources.
