Express Bag Notifications
Return-It Express is a fast and easy way to return your refundable beverage containers. Please see some common Express Bag Notifications below.
Express Bag Notifications
- Non-deposit Dairy/Plant-Based
-
Containers that are NOT included in the program are those not meant primarily as “ready-to-drink”, such as infant formula, meal replacement or dietary supplements, coffee cream and other coffee additives, whipping cream, buttermilk, drinkable yogurt and kefir.
- Food/Organics/Compost
-
Food scraps, organics or compost material that should go in the compost/brown bin. Examples: lemon/lime wedge, leaves.
- Over 12 Glass Bottles and/or Broken Glass
- With Express, we ask that you include no more than 12 glass bottles per Express bag. This is for depot staff safety and to ensure that you receive your full deposit refund by avoiding any breakages. We recommend using other non-glass beverage containers to cushion any glass containers in your bag.
- US Products
- Any products that were purchased in the United States of America. Only products that are purchased in British Columbia and registered within the Return-It system are eligible for a deposit refund.
- Non-standard Express Bag
-
The Express system requires that customers use clear or transparent bags that are up to 90L in capacity.
- Packaging
-
Any plastic packaging such as wrap, plastic rings for 6-pack, clam shell etc. All recyclable paper and cardboard should be placed in the Blue Bin or brought to a depot which collects these types of paper/cardboard separately.
- Material with Biohazard
- Items that may have come in contact with bodily fluids or fluids which are not identifiable. Examples: band-Aids, bandages, hygienic products, face masks, diapers, and any bodily fluids.
- Flammable/Hazardous items
- Needles, knives, lighters, propane tanks, paints, solvents, ammunition, aerosols, oils, auto products (break fluid, anti-freeze) etc.
- Non-deposit Beverage Containers
- Non-deposit Beverage Containers are containers that are not eligible for a deposit refund. Containers that do not contain a label or that have been crushed or flattened are considered Non-deposit Beverage Containers.
- Liquids in Container
- All containers should be emptied fully before being added to your Express bag. We also recommend rinsing and emptying any containers such as milk to avoid them going bad. Any containers that have lids can also be left on your containers.
- Non-deposit Food Containers
-
Examples: Soup/broth, cooking oils
FAQ
- What should I do now?
- Ensure that you only include empty beverage containers that are part of the Return-It system in your Express bags. Any lids can be left on containers once they have been emptied and ensure that any containers without lids are fully emptied before being added to your Express bag.
- Will the notice I received affect my Return-It Express account?
-
Non-standard bags and US container notices are for educational purposes only to assist customers with their future Express drop offs.
Packaging, Food/Organics/Compost, Material with Biohazard and Flammable/Hazardous items are not part of the Return-It system and should not be included in any Express bags. Repeated inclusion of items that match these descriptions will result in a Return-It Express account suspension. Over 12 Glass Bottles can cause breakages in Express bags, and this may also result in an account suspension.
- How do I know what containers to put in my Express bag?
-
Only ready-to-drink beverages that are part of the Return-It system and that carry a 10c deposit should be included in your Express bag. View the different container types that we accept.
You can also verify that a container is part of the Return-It system on our Registered Brands Database. View our Registered Brands Database.