Beverage container deposits are based solely on the size of the container and not the material it is made from. This means that there are two different deposit amounts: beverage containers designed to hold 1L or less equal a 10 cent deposit per container and beverage containers designed to hold over 1L equal a 25 cent deposit per container.

Aluminum
Aluminum
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.01 $0.10
>1L $0.08 $0.25

 

 

Aluminum Cans are recycled back into new aluminum cans. The process of recycling used aluminum containers and turning them into new consumable beverage containers takes less than 60 days. 95 – 99% of aluminum weight shipped is recycled, with the remainder being wire, strapping, moisture and contaminants.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Clear Plastic Containers
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Clear Plastic Containers
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.02 $0.10
>1L $0.05 $0.25

In Alberta, clear PET containers are recycled into flakes or pellets for use in manufacture of new food grade beverage containers. In other parts of the world, PET is recycled into textiles like clothing and carpet. Over 80% of PET weight shipped is recycled with less than 20% being labels, caps and contaminants.

Plastics
Plastics
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.02 $0.10
>1L $0.05 $0.25
Poly Cup $0.02 $0.10

Other plastic containers, such as coloured PET or those made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) containers are recycled into pellets for use in manufacturer of new non-food plastic products. Over 80% by weight are recycled with less than 20% being contaminants.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.01 $0.10
>1L $0.08 $0.25

 

 

Aluminum Cans are recycled back into new aluminum cans. The process of recycling used aluminum containers and turning them into new consumable beverage containers takes less than 60 days. 95 – 99% of aluminum weight shipped is recycled, with the remainder being wire, strapping, moisture and contaminants.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.02 $0.10
>1L $0.05 $0.25

In Alberta, clear PET containers are recycled into flakes or pellets for use in manufacture of new food grade beverage containers. In other parts of the world, PET is recycled into textiles like clothing and carpet. Over 80% of PET weight shipped is recycled with less than 20% being labels, caps and contaminants.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.02 $0.10
>1L $0.05 $0.25
Poly Cup $0.02 $0.10

Other plastic containers, such as coloured PET or those made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) containers are recycled into pellets for use in manufacturer of new non-food plastic products. Over 80% by weight are recycled with less than 20% being contaminants.

Tetra Brik
Tetra Brik
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.05 $0.10
>1L $0.12 $0.25

Tetra Brik containers (part of the Polycoat group) are made up of three material types: paper, aluminum and plastic. Each container goes through a hydro-pulping process that separates the three different material types. 80% of Tetra Brik is extracted into fibres or paper pulp and used in the manufacture of new paper products. The 20% residual aluminum and plastics are also recycled.

Gable Top
Gable Top
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.06 $0.10
>1L $0.12 $0.25

Gable Top cartons (part of the Polycoat group) are made of two material types: paper and plastic. These containers go through a hydro-pulping process to separate the different material types. The resulting paper pulp is recycled into new paper products such as bath tissue, cardboard and writing paper. 80% of Gable Top container weight is recycled. The 20% residual plastics are also recycled.

Bi-Metal
Bi-Metal
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.08 $0.10
>1L $0.08 $0.25

Bi-Metal beverage containers are smelted down for recycling into construction re-bar, car parts, and grinding rods for mining. 95% of bi-metal weight is recycled with 5% being labels, paint, moisture and contaminants.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.05 $0.10
>1L $0.12 $0.25

Tetra Brik containers (part of the Polycoat group) are made up of three material types: paper, aluminum and plastic. Each container goes through a hydro-pulping process that separates the three different material types. 80% of Tetra Brik is extracted into fibres or paper pulp and used in the manufacture of new paper products. The 20% residual aluminum and plastics are also recycled.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.06 $0.10
>1L $0.12 $0.25

Gable Top cartons (part of the Polycoat group) are made of two material types: paper and plastic. These containers go through a hydro-pulping process to separate the different material types. The resulting paper pulp is recycled into new paper products such as bath tissue, cardboard and writing paper. 80% of Gable Top container weight is recycled. The 20% residual plastics are also recycled.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.08 $0.10
>1L $0.08 $0.25

Bi-Metal beverage containers are smelted down for recycling into construction re-bar, car parts, and grinding rods for mining. 95% of bi-metal weight is recycled with 5% being labels, paint, moisture and contaminants.

Pouches
Pouches
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
Pouch 0-1L $0.05 $0.10
Bag In A Box >1L $0.05 $0.25

Material from drink pouches and Bag-in-Box bladders are used for energy recovery through gasification (incineration) due to scarce end markets. Boxes from Bag-in-Box style containers are fairly coarse, and can be recycled into tough paper objects like cardboard boxes.

Glass
Glass
Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.07 $0.10
>1L $0.07 $0.25

Glass containers are broken into small pieces (cullet) and trucked to Airdrie, Alberta, where it is pulverized into a sand-like material and sold to fiberglass home insulation manufactures. We are able to recycle 95% of the container, with 5% waste including caps, corks and dust. 

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
Pouch 0-1L $0.05 $0.10
Bag In A Box >1L $0.05 $0.25

Material from drink pouches and Bag-in-Box bladders are used for energy recovery through gasification (incineration) due to scarce end markets. Boxes from Bag-in-Box style containers are fairly coarse, and can be recycled into tough paper objects like cardboard boxes.

Container SizeContainer Recycling FeeDeposit / Refund
0-1L $0.07 $0.10
>1L $0.07 $0.25

Glass containers are broken into small pieces (cullet) and trucked to Airdrie, Alberta, where it is pulverized into a sand-like material and sold to fiberglass home insulation manufactures. We are able to recycle 95% of the container, with 5% waste including caps, corks and dust. 

Don’t See Your Container Type?

The Beverage Container Management Board (BCMB) registers the more 150,000 different types of beverage containers that can be recycled in Alberta. If you can’t find the container type you are looking for here, contact BCMB for help.

CONTACT BCMB

Download Our Printable Tally Sheet

Use this sheet to keep track of how many containers you've collected and what their estimated refund will be the next time you visit your local depot.

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