We recycled these different beverage containers in BC for a quick refund

Over the years, we’ve all come to appreciate the importance of recycling and the significant impact it has. In today’s busy world, we sometimes forget that we pay a deposit on a number of beverage containers — and recycling them for a refund is actually way simpler than you might think.

Return-It is BC’s beverage container recycling system with hundreds of locations across the province, helping consumers easily return beverage containers for the deposit refund. And with its new, ultra-convenient, unstaffed Express & GO stations, recycling is a breeze.

Gone are the days of tediously sorting and counting beverage containers — all you need to do is bag them, drop them off at an Express & GO station, and get your refund quickly online.

With this in mind, I decided to try it out for myself to see just how effortless the Return-It Express process really is.

Gathering the right beverage containers

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

Instead of heading downstairs to the bins in my apartment building, I grabbed what had built up in my home (oat milk cartons, soda cans, water bottles, and a well-deserved, now-empty wine bottle from Friday night), popped them in a transparent recycling bag, and took a trip to the Return-It Express & GO at North Van Superstore.

Convenient location

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

The first thing I noticed was that the drop-off station itself was actually pretty cool — it’s a repurposed shipping container powered by solar panels. Top points for sustainability, right?

It’s also located in the parking lot of Real Canadian Superstore on Seymour Boulevard, which means you can simply drop off your beverage containers and pick up some groceries in the same trip.

Easy virtual process

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

After logging into my account on Return-it.ca/Express (which is free to create; I simply signed up the night before), I was able to print a label using the phone number associated with my Express account and stuck it on my bag.

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

Then, I texted the unique Express & GO Passcode found on my Express account to the number shown on the container (the number can also be found on the Return-It website) and I was sent a one-time pin to my cell phone. I entered this pin at the station, which allowed me to open the door, dropped my bag in — and that was it!

All of the steps are printed clearly on the station and outlined on the website, so I knew exactly what to do.

Fully automated sorting, counting, and refunding

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

Return-It will sort and count your beverage containers for you, and your refund is automatically credited to your account within 10 business days. Through your account, you can decide to redeem your money through cheque or Interac e-Transfer — whatever suits you best.

While I was there, I saw several other people dropping off their containers too, which made me smile because British Columbians are clearly making the effort to recycle more thanks to convenient services like Return-It — and that’s pretty neat.

One of the easiest things to do for the planet and your wallet

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

In the past, one thing that often deterred me from recycling my beverage containers was the uncertainty around what can actually be recycled. Return-It’s website is very clear on what’s accepted and what isn’t, so there’s no confusion.

Along with your aluminum cans, milk and plant-based beverage containers, plastic bottles, and glass bottles, you can also bring things like drink pouches, which can be recycled with their straws pushed inside, and bag-in-a-box beverage containers, which you can return as-is (no need to separate out the plastic bag from the cardboard box).

The quick refund is also a great incentive to hold onto any containers you may purchase while you’re on the go. Instead of discarding them in a trash can, keep them, and add them to your recycling when you get home.

Vanessa Shakespeare/Daily Hive

Overall, my experience at Return-It Express & GO took less than two minutes and couldn’t have been easier. I can safely say I’ll be back again and will be recommending it to my friends.

For more information, or to locate your nearest Return and GO, click here.