Returning beverage containers in Canada comes with a reward: money.
In Alberta, container return prices range from $0.10 to $0.25 per item, including aluminum, glass, plastic, and bi-metal.
With the COVID-19 crisis limiting services around the province, these return centres have been categorized as essential services.
According to albertadepot.ca:
“Depots are permitted to continue to operate in Alberta at this time as recycling services have been identified by the federal and provincial governments as an essential service.”
The site — which is operated by the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC), the Beverage Container Management Board (BCMB), and the Alberta Bottle Depot Association (ABDA) — states that over two billion containers in the province were recycled under their programs in 2018, with a return rate of 86 per cent.
Bottle depots in Lethbridge had the option of temporarily closing or remaining operational amid the pandemic.
The Ability Resource Centre operates two locations within the city, located in the north and south.
According to the Ability Resource Centre website, it recycles more than 21 million containers every year.
Despite its popularity within the city, it closed down temporarily ‘until further notice’ on March 28.
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Brian Eakett, owner of Green’s Pop Shop on 13th St. N. and Columbia Blvd. W. says his locations also shut their doors around the same time, but demand was far too high to justify staying closed.
“I got 500 phone calls a day asking me to reopen.”
In order to adhere to social distancing practices, Eakett says Green’s has put in new measures, including: plastic curtains between employees and customers, only allowing one customer in the waiting area at a time, requiring employees to wear protective gloves and masks, as well as altering money-handling measures.
The cash is then dispensed through the new machine, allowing customers to safety retrieve their change without coming into contact with the employees. The cards are then dropped into a secure box and cleaned.
“We put them straight into bleach water and bleach the cards between every order.”
Eakett says the northside location has been renovated with a quarter of a million dollars worth of new equipment to help avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus, and has been very busy since operating as the only bottle depot in Lethbridge.
After reopening following their one-week hiatus, Eakett says he lost some of his staff.
“I think people are playing a game,” he said. “I don’t think what we do is any more dangerous than going to Walmart.”
He says they will also be reopening the newly-renovated west side location, but those who left their jobs at the depot made the process more difficult.
“In order for me to reopen the depot on the west side Monday, I had to go on the street and hire some people that want to work,” Eakett said.
Hours at both locations have been reduced to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Sunday, with the grocery side of the store operating from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
Green’s Pop Shop is also now accepting donations of bottles in partnership with the Lethbridge Food Bank and Interfaith Food Bank.