Bottle Depots, why is this still a thing.....

[Nyah]

We should start a thread for people that are helping their kids with bottle drives. We ah...have enough empties that we can fill a truck bed a couple times per year. We're that jockpot house that drinks way too much.

[You Need a Thneed]

It takes no longer throwing a bottle into a bag for bottles than to throw it into a different bag.

15 minutes to cover the drive to the depot, time inside and to get back is nothing once every couple months.

Not worth my time? It’s plenty worth my time.

[calgarywinning]

In Penticton, BC they take the bottles back at the locations that sell bottles. So if you go to Save-On or the Liquor store, you can bring your bottles back. What's nice about this is it becomes part of the routine and your dealing with the bottles just in time, instead of amassing them.

[Slava]

I just leave my empties out for the garbageman as a tip.

(Can't believe I am first to post this!)

[Wormius]

Who makes a special trip to the bottle depot? You wait until you need to go somewhere nearby the bottle depot and take them in then. Anybody who is making a special trip to the bottle depot for a couple of empties is just odd.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Slava

I just leave my empties out for the garbageman as a tip.

(Can't believe I am first to post this!)

We did this once; they left the bag with a note explaining why it wasn't picked up...

[puckedoff]

Originally Posted by Slava

I just leave my empties out for the garbageman as a tip.

(Can't believe I am first to post this!)

Is this green text? What does he do load them into the cab and drive around like that? I bet he just throws them out with the rest of your garbage. Does anyone else do this?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Locke

I used to but we've stopped lately because we have the second car in the garage.

Bottle Depots are high on my list of:

"You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

Just one spot below the Registry Office.

It is one domestic chore that I loathe. I've been lucky with Bottle Drives the past few times because my wife was giving me the 'When are you taking the bottles in?' question fairly regularly.

I think the most I've ever gotten was like $75, for me its not worth storing them, stacking them, getting them in the car, taking them to the Bottle Depot for that. Just not worth it.

I love it because it feels like free money. Yes, I know I've paid the deposit. I took the empties back from camping and got $60. There were only 3 adults there. We may have an alcohol problem

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by habernac

I love it because it feels like free money. Yes, I know I've paid the deposit. I took the empties back from camping and got $60. There were only 3 adults there. We may have an alcohol problem

That's like 600 cans! How many weeks of camping was this??

[afc wimbledon]

They don't have deposits on cans and bottles in the UK (well London) and the city is littered with empty cans of Stella and Tennents Lager, every time I'm there I wonder why they don't have such a simple great solution to littering

[getbak]

Originally Posted by puckedoff

Is this green text? What does he do load them into the cab and drive around like that? I bet he just throws them out with the rest of your garbage. Does anyone else do this?

It's a reference to an old post from years ago where the topic of tipping your garbage collectors at Christmas came up. Someone posted that they just saved up all their empties for the year and left them curbside before Christmas as a tip.

Then, everyone pointed out exactly what you did, that they would have just been thrown into the back of the garbage truck with everything else (this was before the different coloured bins had been introduced in Calgary).

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Nyah

We should start a thread for people that are helping their kids with bottle drives. We ah...have enough empties that we can fill a truck bed a couple times per year. We're that jockpot house that drinks way too much.

Back before we had kids we were the jackpot house. Lots of parties. On more than one occasion we opened the garage door to wide-eyed astonishment. "We're gonna need the truck. We're gonna need both trucks. Just send everybody here!"

[Swift]

Originally Posted by Locke

I think the most I've ever gotten was like $75, for me its not worth storing them, stacking them, getting them in the car, taking them to the Bottle Depot for that. Just not worth it.

How is $75 for about an hour of your time not worth it? Man, we know who the rich people are around here.

[nik-]

I too am clamoring for the elimination of one of the easier ways people on the streets can make a little honest money to provide for themselves.

Then things will be better.

[Radio]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

So... leaving the condescension and Jesusness aside for a moment, this means you do agree with OP's point otherwise, i.e. bottle deposits no longer serve the purpose they've been originally intended to serve - to promote recycling, but are simply another unnecessary cash grab, correct?

Well, the homeless that are collecting the bottles are picking them from garbage cans and the side of the road and the like. So they are recycling other people's waste...shouldn't they be paid for it? If you agree with that then they need a place to take their spoils to exchange for money...a bottle depot perhaps?

Cash grab by who? If you had to pay a deposit that you couldn't get back then I could see your point. But I don't understand cash grab here.

As a previous poster said and I agree they should have deposits on other things like cigarette buts and paper cups. Then those things be picked up as well. The "work" is there the "workers" just need to be paid for it.

[Weitz]

I just throw them into the garbage. Returning the metal to the home it came from.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Radio

...
Cash grab by who? If you had to pay a deposit that you couldn't get back then I could see your point. But I don't understand cash grab here...

OP's point was that the perceived majority of recycling-conscientious people are no longer taking their bottles to depots preferring to deposit them into their blue bins instead. Since we are already taxed on the blue bins, the bottle deposits collected by retailers on behalf of Alberta Environment (I believe this is where the money ultimately goes to, but I could be wrong on this) are a cash grab. I think this is a very fair and reasonable assessment of the current situation.


Collection of bottles (and other recyclables) by homeless people could be reimbursed from social assistance funding programs.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by Locke

I used to but we've stopped lately because we have the second car in the garage.

Bottle Depots are high on my list of:

"You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

Just one spot below the Registry Office.

It is one domestic chore that I loathe. I've been lucky with Bottle Drives the past few times because my wife was giving me the 'When are you taking the bottles in?' question fairly regularly.

I think the most I've ever gotten was like $75, for me its not worth storing them, stacking them, getting them in the car, taking them to the Bottle Depot for that. Just not worth it.

Careful...Your inner "Sliver" is showing...

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by ken0042

There's this option:
https://skipthedepot.com/

Basically costs you about 30% of your return.

I did this a couple weeks back and it was great. They showed up and picked up my 3 bags and had $21 credited on account the next day. Very seamless

I plan on having them come pickup every time I have 2 bags full. Tired of wasting so much storage space on bottles when they come to me as needed.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Locke

You can also use Vecova, they come and pick it up and send you a tax receipt for a donation.

This is what I use. I believe special needs people and people with disabilities do the sorting and benefit from the proceeds.

They also provide stands and bags to collect your recyclables and remind you of the pick up date.