Globally, Alberta is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and forward-thinking industries – energy, healthcare, and more recently artificial intelligence (A.I.) And, while the province’s beverage container recycling system has led the nation, the program is ripe for transformation.
The province’s container recycling system is a proven success, diverting billions of containers from landfill each year. Alberta’s system has also created jobs and turns waste into new products that Albertans use daily. But as more Canadians arrive in the province and as consumer expectations shift, the system faces a crossroads.
To remain effective, Beverage Container Management Board (BCMB), the system regulator, is sharpening its focus on efficiency, accessibility and convenience and ensuring that the province’s bottle depots are at the centre of this new chapter of beverage recycling.
“Over their 53-year history, Alberta Depots have become adept at adapting,” says Jerry Roczkowsky, president of the Alberta Bottle Depot Association (ABDA). “Depots and the ABDA have evolved over the years and that readies depots for whatever is ahead.”
Technology at Depots Today
With the advancement of technology in recent years, Albertans have begun to demand more efficient and smarter solutions from many long-standing systems. The depot network has worked to meet those expectations, using digital tools to connect with customers and promote sustainability initiatives while continuing to build their legacy of service.
After 2009, when dairy containers were added to Alberta’s system and returns grew, depots partnered with an Alberta-based software developer to design a platform that modernized depot operations across the province. ABDA has also actively encouraged the adoption of modern hardware that allows depots to process more containers more quickly and return deposits to customers through automation.
In fact, depots themselves have found unique and creative ways to innovate, embodying Alberta’s resourceful mindset.
In northwest Alberta, for example, one depot owner developed a counting machine using a leaf blower and an optical sensor at a fraction of the cost of today’s commercial equipment. Depots in other pockets of the province are beginning to experiment with homegrown artificial intelligence-powered systems to sort and tally containers.
It’s a familiar made-in-Alberta approach just like Alberta’s oil sands and A.I. industries.
Opportunity Awaits
In August, BCMB announced a new opportunity to enhance Alberta’s beverage container recycling system. Currently, BCMB is seeking Requests for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) from Alberta bottle depots to explore new, alternative methods of collecting beverage containers through pilot projects in high-density areas within Edmonton and Calgary, and in difficult to service areas such as Evansburg, Fox Creek and Waterton National Park.
With a strong provincial collection rate of around 85 per cent, these pilots are designed to make recycling more convenient and accessible for all Albertans.
When asked about Depots’ excitement, Roczkowsky suggests that the depots are approaching pilot projects with a mix of excitement and understandable caution.
“As a group, depots are more cautious as many have their life savings invested in their depots. Therefore, they are hesitant to encourage the adoption of new business models without first understanding its impact on overall depot viability.”
Still, Roczkowsky suggests that despite the natural hesitations, depots are incredibly interested in innovation and new ways to earn revenue.
For example, in ABDA’s 2025 Member Survey, 93 per cent of respondents identified “Innovation and Development of New Revenue Streams” as the single most important service the ABDA provides to members. Roczkowsky mentions that this is a high priority.
“ABDA’s Board of Directors has taken notice, and it remains a top priority for ABDA. For example, in 2021, ABDA’s Board formally established a Technology Advisory Committee (TAC).”
Roczkowsky notes that ABDA is committed to exploring new collection models alongside BCMB, and, if history and member surveys are any consolation, it’s clear that the industry as a whole wants to continue innovating to better serve Albertans now and in the future.
BCMB Pilot Projects and The Path Forward
BCMB’s pilot projects are designed to help the industry meet Albertans’ demands for speed, accuracy and convenience while ensuring Alberta’s system remains financially viable and sustainable over the long term.
For depots, the path ahead is both familiar and uncertain. They will adapt, innovate and try to stay one step ahead of whatever comes next — their livelihoods depend on it. That’s why BCMB’s new pilot projects offer a timely chance to test fresh approaches.
The future is bright and according to Roczkowsky, “Albertans should be proud that the Government of Alberta’s made-in-Alberta beverage container management system is a world-leading system that harnesses the entrepreneurial spirit that Alberta is known for. Alberta’s system has been a leading jurisdiction in deposit return system policy and programs.”