Every beverage container you buy in Alberta has a deposit baked into the price. Return it, and you get that deposit back. Here is exactly how much your bottles and cans are worth — and how to collect all of it.
April 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Alberta keeps it simple. Every refundable beverage container falls into one of two tiers, set by the size of the container rather than the type of drink.
Containers one litre or smaller are worth 10 cents each. That covers most pop cans, beer cans, water bottles, single-serve juice, and standard wine and liquor bottles.
Containers larger than one litre are worth 25 cents each — large juice jugs, big soda bottles, boxed wine, and most milk jugs.
A standard kitchen garbage bag holds roughly 80 to 100 mixed containers once they are loosely packed. At an average of around 12 cents a container, that is about $10 to $12 a bag.
Most households book a pickup with five or more bags saved up, which puts a normal pickup in the $50 to $90 range. A backyard party or a renovation cleanout can clear $150 without trying.
The exact figure depends on your mix — a bag of mostly large bottles is worth far more than a bag of crushed cans.
The deposit refund is fixed. What changes is how much it costs you to collect it.
A depot run means loading the car, driving across town, waiting in line, sorting, and driving home — easily an hour, plus gas. Run that math on a $40 return and the effective hourly rate is not great.
That is the real reason bags of empties sit in garages for months. The money is real; the errand is the problem.
DepotDash picks the bags up from your door, counts every container, and e-transfers your refund within 48 hours.
On any pickup over $10 — which is almost every household pickup — we charge zero service fee, so you keep the full deposit. Pickups under $10 carry a 20% fee.
Compared with services that take a flat 30% cut, keeping 100% over $10 is the difference between a $50 refund and a $35 one.
A step-by-step guide to running a bottle drive fundraiser in Edmonton — for schools, teams, churches, and community groups. No depot parking lot required.
Where to return bottles and cans in Edmonton — an honest comparison of bottle depots versus door-to-door pickup, and which one is worth your time.
What you can return for a deposit in Alberta — cans, bottles, Tetra Paks, milk jugs and more — plus what does not count, and why you never have to sort.
Five minutes to book. Forty-eight hours to e-transfer.
