Blog/2026-10-19
A school-year bottle drive plan for NW Calgary parent councils
Sage Hill Bottle Depot team
Open one free, ongoing bottle drive account in the fall and let families add to it all year. They drop off at 70 Sage Hill Plaza NWand say the school's name. Most Sage Hill drives raise about $600 to $3,000, there's no limit, and we pay your parent council within one week of the drive closing.
Quick facts — Sage Hill Bottle Depot · 70 Sage Hill Plaza NW, Calgary, AB T3R 0S4 · (403) 275-7003 · Mon–Sat 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM · Sun 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM · Set up a free drive
Why a school-year drive (not one Saturday)
A one-day bottle drive depends on one weekend, one weather forecast and a lot of volunteers. A school-year drive works the other way: you open one account at the depot, and families add to it whenever their bins fill up, from September to June.
- Less volunteer time.With a drop-off account at the depot, families bring containers to us and say your school's name. Nobody has to staff a parking lot.
- More containers. Empties pile up all year (lunches, parties, sports, holidays), so a drive that stays open catches all of it.
- Free to run.Setup is free, we supply cube bags and a trailer if you want them, and we don't take a cut.
If you want the setup steps, they're in our how-to guide. This post is about planning the year.
Month-by-month reminder calendar
The account does the collecting. Your job is to remind families at the moments they have the most empties. A simple calendar for your newsletter or school app:
| When | Why families have empties | Reminder idea |
|---|---|---|
| October | Thanksgiving dinners and Halloween parties | "Halloween party cleanup? Juice boxes and pouches count. Say [school name] at Sage Hill." |
| November–December | Holiday parties, classroom celebrations, family visits | "Before the winter break, drop your holiday empties for [school name]." |
| January | Leftovers from New Year's and holiday hosting | "New year, empty garage. Every can is 10¢ for [school name]." |
| February–March | Indoor sports seasons, team snacks | "Team snacks add up. Bring the bag after practice." |
| April–May | Spring cleaning, garage and basement clear-outs | "Spring clean-out? Those boxes of cans in the basement can fund [project]." |
| June | Year-end BBQs, field days, graduations | "Last push of the year. Help us hit our goal before summer." |
Pick three or four of these, not all six, so the message stays fresh. Pairing each reminder with a specific goal ("new library books", "Grade 6 field trip") gives families a reason to make the trip.
Cube bag at the school or drop-off at the depot
You can run your school-year drive two ways, or both at once:
- Drop-off account at the depot. Families bring containers to 70 Sage Hill Plaza NWand say your school's name. We count everything and track it for your parent council. No volunteers needed.
- Cube bag at your school.We deliver a large cube bag to your school. Families fill it during pickup and drop-off. When it's full, we arrange pickup or you bring it back.
For big events, like a year-end carnival, you can also use our trailer as part of the free setup. Our bottle drives page compares all three.
What to tell families
We don't print flyers or posters, so here's text your parent council can paste into a newsletter, email or school app:
[School name] bottle drive, all year long
Bring your empty cans, bottles, juice boxes, drink pouches, cartons and milk jugs to Sage Hill Bottle Depot (70 Sage Hill Plaza NW) any time we're open, and say "[School name]" when you arrive. No sorting needed. Every container adds 10¢ or 25¢ to [goal]. Not accepted: cooking oil, condiments, syrup, cleaning products and broken containers.
Families can see the full list of what counts on our refunds & pricing page. Juice boxes and pouches surprise a lot of people; they're refundable too.
Tracking your total
Want to know how you're doing partway through the year? Call us at (403) 275-7003. When your parent council is ready to close the drive, we pay the total within one week, by cheque or e-Transfer.
For a realistic goal, most drives at Sage Hill raise about $600 to $3,000, and there's no limit. In 2025, the drives run with us raised more than $100,000 for local groups. Our post on how much a bottle drive can raise shows how container counts turn into dollars.
We're based in Sage Hill and work with schools across NW Calgary, including Evanston, Kincora, Sherwood, Nolan Hill and Symons Valley.
Ready to start your school's drive?
Send us your request and choose "School / Parent Council". We'll call within one business day. Questions? Call (403) 275-7003.
Related: Bottle drives · How to run a bottle drive · How much can a bottle drive raise? · Refunds & pricing
Rates are set under Alberta's deposit program (ABCRC deposit schedule). Confirm details at the counter if anything looks out of date.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can families give any time during the school year?
Yes. An ongoing account stays open for months, so families can drop off whenever we're open and say your school's name.
Does the school need volunteers at the depot?
No. With a drop-off account, families bring containers straight to us and we count and track everything for your group.
Do you make flyers?
No, we don't print flyers or posters. Use the template text above in your newsletter or school app.
How is the parent council paid?
We pay within one week of the drive closing, by cheque or e-Transfer. Setup is free and we don't take a cut.
How much can a school bottle drive raise?
There's no limit. Most Sage Hill drives raise about $600 to $3,000.