Container Types & Refunds

Aluminum

Three aluminum cans of beverage: a light blue beer can, a green soda can, and a yellow-green energy drink can.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.00

0-1L

$0.10

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.

Green circle with a lowercase letter 'i' inside, indicating information.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Clear Plastic Containers

Large plastic bottle of purple juice and a smaller plastic bottle of water side by side.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.03
$0.06

0-1L
>1L

$0.10
$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.

Green icon with the letter 'i' inside a speech bubble, indicating information.

Plastics

A bottle of soda, a container of chocolate milk, a small bottle of yogurt, and a paper cup filled with ice.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.03
$0.06

0-1L
>1L

$0.10
$0.25

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.

Green circle with a white information icon in the center.

Tetra Brik

A carton of pear juice, a box of orange juice, and a carton of rice milk.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.04
$0.11

0-1L
>1L

$0.10
$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.

Green circular icon with an exclamation mark and lowercase 'i' indicating information or caution

Gable Top

Carton of pear and berry juice with a smaller carton labeled 'Half & Half' at the side.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.05
$0.11

0-1L
>1L

$0.10
$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.

Green icon with a lowercase 'i' enclosed in a circle, signifying information.

Bi-Metal

A large can of beer surrounded by cans of vegetable juice and a box of meal replacement.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.08
$0.08

0-1L
>1L

$0.10
$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.

Green icon of a person with information symbol

Pouches

Boxed wine dispenser with a wine bottle inside and a juice box in front.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.04

Pouch 0-1L

Bag In A Box > 1L

$0.04

$0.10

$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.

Green icon of a person with an information symbol

Glass

A green wine bottle and a plastic juice bottle with a colorful label featuring cherries and a sun icon.

Container Recycling Fee:

Container Size:

Deposit / Refund:

$0.07
$0.07

0-1L
>1L

$0.10
$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. 

Green circle with a lowercase 'i' icon indicating information.

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.