Refund Amounts

Know Before You Go.

Ready to return your empty bottles for a refund? Finding a bottle depot near you with great hours always helps. In addition, many people participate in the beverage container management and bottle recycling process for the refund. Recycled bottles are separated into two categories: over 1 litre and less than 1 litre. This makes processing refunds easy and can also be helpful for those trying to get the most out of their return.

For container volumes larger than 1 litre, you’ll get 25 cents back. These include but are not limited to milk jugs and gable top cartons, beer kegs, and gable top juice cartons. For container volumes less than 1 litre, you’ll receive 10 cents per item. These include but are not limited to wine bottles, beer bottles, juice pouches, and pop cans.

It is important to note that the container’s material does not affect the deposit amount. There are several materials that Alberta Bottle Depots can accept toward the deposit amount. Therefore, only the size of the container is important for the bottle refund amount.

25¢

For container volume more than 1 litre

Refund amount

10¢

For container volume 1 litre or less

Refund Amount Less

Returning Beverage Containers For A Bottle Refund

Only beverage containers sold in Alberta can be returned for a bottle refund. However, there are a couple of ways to tell if your container is eligible. One of those ways is the languages used. In Alberta, containers have both French and English on the labels. The container size listed in fluid ounces is another indicator, and so is the Surgeon General’s warning on alcoholic beverage containers.

Still not sure if your container is eligible for a bottle refund in Alberta? During your next visit to a Green Bottle Depot location, ask one of our staff.

How Returning Bottles For A Refund Works

Not every province has a recycling program like Alberta, and we know if you’re new here, you may be wondering how bottle refunds work. We accept containers made from aluminum, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) clear plastic containers, plastic containers, glass, tetra brick, Gable Top, Bi-metal, and pouches at Alberta bottle depots.

The first step is to save your empties until you’re ready to head to a bottle depot near you. Once you are ready, head to your local Green Bottle Depot, where one of our staff will have you empty the bag or bin onto the counter.

They will then sort through the containers by type and size, marking down how many of each there is. They’ll then provide you with a slip to go to the cashier to collect your bottle refund or donate it to one of our charitable partners. (link to page here)

When returning containers, you can also utilize a bottle pick up service like SkipTheDepot. Through SkipTheDepot, there is also a Drop&Go service if you still want to head to the depot but don’t want to wait in line.

Bottle Depot Trip Tips

The tips listed below are entirely optional but are some that we commonly see from our customers. If you still have questions about your trip to the recycling depot read through our frequently asked questions or contact a Green Bottle Depot near you.

Rinse Your Containers

This is a great tip, especially if you don’t have a truck and your recyclable beverage containers are in a bag. If they are rinsed out ahead of time, you won’t have to worry about your vehicle smelling if any cans or bottles leak. Plus, rinsing your containers ahead of going to the recycling depot helps us keep our facility smelling clean.

Organize Ahead Of Time

Another tip some of our customers use is to organize by beverage container size. Pre-organizing your bottles also makes the process faster and more streamlined for you and the bottle sorter.

Calculate Your Bottle Refund

The last tip we’ve heard from our customers is that they will count, and occasionally label, the bags ahead of time. They do this to get an idea of the refunded amount.

Box Your Glass

This last one also falls under being safe. Customers should store glass containers in boxes to prevent breaking. No one wants to cut themselves on a broken bottle.