Waste Reduction Archives

Bottle Depot Contest 2025

Support your community and the planet by entering the Bottle Depot contest!

Your organization could win a prize – or you could help someone else win!

Click here to register for the contest

Contest Instructions

How does the contest work?

Participating groups create a Drop & Go account at the Bottle Depot.

Groups register for the contest with Ecology North using the same Drop & Go name, as one of three categories:
- 1. Non-profit organization or registered charity
- 2. Sports teams
- 3. School groups

Teams collect containers:
- Run bottle drives, social media campaigns, etc.
- Individuals can also donate to participating teams at Drop & Go

Teams have two drop-off options for their containers:
- 1. Drop off at Bottle Depot and collect cash on hand. Then, upload a photo of your receipt. The date will need to be visible in the photo.
- 2. Drop off at Drop & Go. Forward your receipt to events@ecologynorth.ca.

There will be individuals donating containers to participating groups throughout the contest period. Those donations will be tracked via email receipts. It is important that teams email all receipts to events@ecologynorth.ca.

How are the group categories defined?

Please see below for specific breakdown between these two groups. Both will compete in the same category.

Non-profit organizations: Non-profit organizations are associations, clubs, or societies that are not charities and are organized and operated exclusively for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure, recreation, or any other purpose except profit.

Registered charity: Registered charities are charitable organizations, public foundations, or private foundations that are created and resident in Canada.

All of the below examples could participate in the contest.

Non-profit organization:

YK Citizens for Ceasefire
Seniors for Climate Action
Yellowknife Multi-Sport Club

Registered charity (participants can include staff members, board members, or unassociated individuals interested in representing the charity):

Salvation Army
YK Food Rescue
Northern Mosaic Network

Please note that charities and non-profit organizations will compete in the same category.

Sports teams: A sports team includes recreational and competitive teams. They can be formal or informal and represent one particular team, or an entire organization, association, club, or league. If you are a sports team associated with a school, you can enter this category, or the School Groups category.

All of the below examples could participate in the contest. Please note there is overlap between examples.

Formal (i.e., associated with a larger organization, club, or league):

A team from the Yellowknife Curling League

Informal (i.e., not associated with an established organization):

The Frozen Pipes
Javarunners

Team:

A specific YK Women’s Hockey Association team

Organization:

Yellowknife Underwater Hockey
Bella Dance Academy

School groups: A school group includes any team associated with a school. A team can represent an entire school, a classroom, a group of classrooms, or a specific club/group associated with the school. If you are a sports team associated with a school, you can enter this category, or the Sports Team category.

All of the below examples could participate in the contest.

Example clubs:

St. Patrick High School Green Team
A chess club

Example classroom:

A grade 4 classroom
Several classrooms under one team name

Entire school:

Mildred Hall School, under one name

How can I participate?

There are three ways you can participate in this contest. Click on a tab to find out more.

If your organization does have an existing Drop & Go Account:

Register your group with Ecology North through this form.
1. This will help Ecology North and the Bottle Depot advertise your group as available for donations during the contest period.
You have two drop-off options for your beverage containers:
1. Drop off at the Bottle Depot and collect cash in hand. Then, upload a photo of your receipt below. The date will need to be visible in the photo.
2. Drop off at Drop & Go. Forward your receipt to events@ecologynorth.ca. Please note that Drop & Go has a limit of 10 bags per drop.
Forward any additional receipts from donations that your group receives from Drop & Go to events@ecologynorth.ca. This will ensure that donations received from individuals in your organization’s name are counted towards the contest.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO

Hannah works for YK Food Rescue. YK Food Rescue already has a Drop & Go Account.
Hannah registers YK Food Rescue for the contest through the Ecology North form, as a registered charity.
The YK Food Rescue team members:
- Run a bottle drive
- Ask their neighbours for containers
- Ask people to donate their containers at Drop&Go to their team
- Other creative ways of collecting containers
Members of the YK Food Rescue team drop their containers off:
- At Drop & Go, under the YK Food Rescue account. They forward their emailed receipt to events@ecologynorth.ca.
- At the Bottle Depot counter to receive cash in-hand. They upload their receipt to the Ecology North website.
Hannah monitors the YK Food Rescue email and forwards additional receipts from Drop & Go which came from individual donations.

If your group does not have an existing Drop & Go Account:

Create a Drop & Go Account at the Bottle Depot. You will need one email address.
Register your group with Ecology North through this form.
1. This will help Ecology North and the Bottle Depot advertise your group as available for donations during the contest period.
You have two drop-off options for your beverage containers:
1. Drop off at the Bottle Depot and collect cash in hand. Then, upload a photo of your receipt. The date will need to be visible in the photo.
2. Drop off at Drop & Go. Forward your receipt to events@ecologynorth.ca. Please note that Drop & Go has a limit of 10 bags per drop.
Forward any additional receipts from donations that your group receives from Drop & Go to events@ecologynorth.ca. This will ensure that donations received from individuals in your organization’s name are counted towards the contest.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO:

Hannah runs with the running group, the Frozen Pipes. They DO NOT have a Drop & Go account:

Hannah visits the Bottle Depot to create a Drop & Go account for her new team, the Frozen Pipes. She needs one email address.
Hannah registers the Frozen Pipes for the contest as a Sports Team through the Ecology North form.
- Now, her new group can receive donations from any individuals, even if they are not associated with her team.
The Frozen Pipes team members:
- Run a bottle drive
- Ask their neighbours for containers
- Ask people to donate their containers at Drop&Go to their team
- Other creative ways of collecting containers
Hannah and her team drop their containers off:
- At Drop & Go, under the Frozen Pipes account. They forward their emailed receipts to events@ecologynorth.ca.
- At the Bottle Depot counter to receive cash in-hand. They upload their receipts to the Ecology North website.
Hannah monitors her email and forwards additional receipts from Drop & Go which came from individual donations.

If you would like to contribute your individual containers to a participating group in the contest:

Drop off your containers at Drop & Go and note the participating group you are donating your containers to. Forward your receipt to events@ecologynorth.ca. Please note that the Bottle Depot has a limit of 10 bags at Drop & Go.

You do not need to register for the contest to donate your containers to an existing group.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO:

Hannah wants to DONATE to an existing group:

Hannah does not need to register to participate.
Hannah runs her own bottle drive, collects containers, etc.
Hannah donates her containers to YK Citizens for Ceasefire, a group participating in the contest with a new Drop & Go account.
Her donation increases YK Citizens for Ceasefire’s chances of winning a prize.
As an individual, Hannah’s containers are a donation. She will not be able to contribute to a team unless she drops her containers off at Drop & Go.

What can my group win?

	First Place	Second Place	Third Place
Non-profit organization/ registered charity:	$1500	$1000	$500
Sports Team	$1500	$1000	$500
School Group	$1500	$1000	$500

Who is eligible to participate?

All residents of the NWT can compete in this contest, provided they are associated with one of the following three categories:

1. Non-profit organization/registered charity
2. Sports team
3. School group

You can participate by creating a Drop & Go account, and registering for the contest through this form; or you can participate by dropping off beverage containers at Drop&Go under the name of existing groups.

Who is not eligible to participate?

For-profit businesses and workplaces are not eligible to participate. We encourage businesses and workplaces to donate their beverage containers to participating teams.

Please note that if your workplace is included in the above categories (i.e., staff at a registered charity), you are eligible to participate.

Individuals are not eligible to participate on their own. If you would like to participate, we ask that you associate with a group, team, or organization, or drop your containers at Drop & Go under an existing group.

If you would like to participate, but are not connected to any of the above three categories, please reach out to events@ecologynorth.ca, and the Ecology North team will provide you with alternative options.

What do I do with the money from the containers?

You keep it! The best thing about this contest is that even if you don’t win a prize, all the money from your containers goes back to your organization.

Can I run a bottle drive?

Absolutely! In fact, we encourage your team to run bottle drives, ask for container donations, collect from neighbours and businesses, and post on social media to solicit containers.

How does Drop & Go work?

This contest relies on the Drop & Go program at the Bottle Depot. A Bottle Depot staff member will help you set up a Drop & Go account.

You will need to visit the Bottle Depot in-person to drop off your containers at Drop & Go. There will be a list of participating organizations on a board in front of you.

The Drop & Go kiosk will allow you to print out labels associated with your chosen organization.

Attached 1 label to each bag of containers and place them on the sorting table for later processing.

Please remove all lids from your containers. Please do not drop off more than 10 bags at a time.

You will receive a receipt within 5 business days confirming your containers have been counted. You can collect your refund at any time, from the Bottle Depot’s front desk.

What participating groups can I donate to at the Bottle Depot?

The following organizations are participating in the Bottle Depot Contest:

YWCA NWT
Centre for Northern Families
Street Outreach
NWT SPCA
Yellowknife Daycare Association
Yellowknife Search and Rescue
Inclusion NWT
Aspire Training Academy
Foxy Smash
Northern Mosaic Network
Volleyball NT
NWT Soccer Canada Summer Games
Potential Volleyball Club
G&G Thunder
Range Lake North School
Allain St-Cyr School
ESPHS Best Buddies
Sir John Franklin
NWT Judo Association
Dolly Parton’s Imagination-Library
NWT Gymnastics Association
YBC Northwest Territories

I don’t know which category my group fits into:

If you are unsure of which category you fall within, please do not hesitate to reach out events@ecologynorth.ca or call 867-873-6019. . Likewise, if you would like to participate in the contest, but are unsure of your eligibility, please reach out to events@ecologynorth.ca or call 867-873-6019.

What is the last day that I can drop my containers off?

We will count any containers dropped off up until and including March 30th, 2025. We will accept receipts dated to March 30th, 2025, sent to us up until and including April 5th at 11:59pm MT.

Is there a deadline to register?

As long as you register your group before March 30th, you can participate in this contest.

When and how are the winners announced?

Winners will be notified by email on Monday, April 7th, 2025. Ecology North will share winners on this website and on our social media channels.

I still have questions. Where do I go?

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ecology North. You can email us at events@ecologynorth.ca, by calling our office at 867-873-6019, or by visiting us at 5016 50th Avenue, Yellowknife, NT.

I have feedback for future contests:

We’d love your feedback! Please fill out the following form, to help us improve this contest in the future.

Emailing your receipts:

When you drop off your beverage containers, the Bottle Depot will email you a receipt with the following information:

Name
Date
Number of beverage containers

Please forward that receipt to events@ecologynorth.ca. Include your Group Name associated with your Drop & Go account in your email.

Please note that Ecology North will not count receipts that do not clearly show the date. We will also not accept emails that are not forwarded from the Bottle Depot.

Uploading your receipts:

If you drop your containers off at the front desk of the Bottle Depot, you will receive cash in-hand and a receipt. Upload your receipt here so we can count your contribution towards the contest. Make sure to include the team you are associated with.

Happy recycling!

Community Sustainable Event Guide

Are you an events coordinator, volunteer, or event sponsor in the NWT?

If so, this Community Sustainable Event Guide is for you! The guide gives practical advice on how to create less waste by making slight recommendations to typical the venues, waste disposal processes, and food and drink options that NWT events planners usually use. You can use this guide to help make all your private and public events, meetings, festivals, parades, races, and public assemblies more sustainable.

Community-Events-Sustainability-Guide Download

Ecology North’s Sustainable Community Events Guide was created with thanks to funding from Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories.

Backyard Composting

Previously a joint-project between the City of Yellowknife and Ecology North, the Backyard Composting Program is now housed under the City of Yellowknife’s Solid Waste Facility.

Backyard Composting is a fun way for residents to manage their organics recycling at home. Citizens directly benefit from their own efforts by producing valuable compost for their yards and gardens. The City benefits by reducing collection and management costs.

The City of Yellowknife continues to sell backyard composters at a subsidized rate of $35.

Please see the City’s website for details on how to contact the gatehouse about buying a composter:
City of Yellowknife Solid Waste Management

For tips on how to backyard compost please see the links below:
Backyard Composting North of 60
Northern Backyard Farming: Composting

Compost fun fact: George Washington, the United State’s first president, was also the nation’s first recognized composter. (Source: ASCP Journal)

Recycling

Northern Communities face unique challenges in Waste Management. Producers of food and goods transport materials into our remote communities, but local governments are responsible for dealing with the waste that is left behind. Transporting waste out of communities is expensive and innovative solutions are needed to help our local governments keep waste out of their landfills!

Ecology North was instrumental in helping the City of Yellowknife establish their current recycling program and continues to offer assistance and recommendations to the City on the program. We look forward to helping the City of Yellowknife increase their overall waste diversion and to working with other communities in the NWT to find effective ways to keep waste out of their landfills!

Here is a handy resource to help you reduce waste if you live in Yellowknife!

Northern Backyard Farming Booklets

Small-scale agriculture is growing in popularity in the Northwest Territories, and residents have an increased appetite for clear and simple information on the topic. The importance of producing food locally is receiving more attention from government and residents as the costs of food transportation become a significant burden. Ecology North, with support from GNWT Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, created a series of booklets related to Northern Backyard Farming in the NWT as a starting point for residents to try their hand at local food production.

#1 Raising Chickens

More and more people are waking up to the joys of growing their own food. this guide is intended to illustrate the basics of raising chickens in your backyard. Chickens are fun, entertaining, great with kids and provide nutritious eggs and meat. This guide is the first in a series of booklets that Ecology North has developed about food in the NWT. Pick it up and give it a read; maybe chickens are your next step to eating more local healthy food grown right here in the NWT.

#2 Preserving Food

Preserving food is an age-old tradition. Freezing, drying, canning, jams and jellies, pickling, fermenting, and root cellaring are all great ways to store food from one season to the next. This guide is intended to provide some basic inspiration to preserve your own food. Preserving food can be fun, easy, interesting, and delicious. This guide is the second in a series of booklets that Ecology North has developed about food in the NWT. Pick it up and give it a read; maybe food preservation is your next step to eating more healthy and locally grown food in the NWT.

#3 Composting

Composting is a great way to keep organic materials out of the landfill. It is a fun, inexpensive and easy way to turn food and yard waste into a valuable, nutrient-rich soil conditioner. This guide is the third in a series of booklets that Ecology North has developed about food in the NWT. Pick it up and give it a read; maybe making your own compost is your next step to growing local and healthy food right here in the NWT!

#4 Soil Health

Growing food starts with healthy soil. There are a number of factors that can influence soil health including pH, moisture, structure, texture and nutrients. This guide is intended to provide basic information about building up and maintaining healthy soil. Understanding your soil’s health is an essential part of growing food. This guide is the fourth in a series of booklets that Ecology North has developed about food in the NWT. Pick it up and give it a read; maybe enhancing your soil’s health is your next step to growing your own food in the NWT.

#5 Spaces to Grow

Out in the yard, on the deck, or in your home, there are many ways to garden and use the space you have to grow your own food. This guide provides ideas and useful information to help grow good food in our rugged landscape and northern climate. Be inspired to find small, unusual spaces to grow in your backyard or patio. Pick it up and give it a read; it could be the inspiration you need to grow your own food in the NWT!

#6 Beekeeping

This guide is intended to illustrate the basics of backyard beekeeping in the Northwest Territories. Beekeeping is fun and requires minimal space. It can also be challenging. With a bit of patience and a lot of hard work, you can reap a sweet reward.

This guide also emphasizes our responsibility to nurture our native bee species and the steps we can all take to reduce threats to their health.

Worm Composting

Would you like some information about how to set up your own indoor worm composting system? Are you looking for some red wigglers?

Thanks to our red wiggling friends, it IS possible to produce lovely compost in our northern climates, even during the winter! Worm composting, or vermicomposting, is a great year-round way to compost in your house, apartment, classroom or office. The worms will reduce your waste and produce rich compost that may be used to help gardens and houseplants grow. Plus, the kids will love them!

Ecology North offers the resources to help you start up a bin. If you would like free red wigglers, or more information, please contact us or feel free to drop by and ask us in person.

Waste Reduction Week

Every October, Ecology North, in partnership with GNWT Environment and Natural Resources, hosts a number of events in recognition of National Waste Reduction Week. Past events have included film screenings, DIYs, Fix-it-Fairs, and panel discussions on waste reduction.

Yellowknife Sustainable Event Checklist

Are you a event coordinator, volunteer, event sponsor, or just a concerned citizen? Learn how you can help reduce the impact of public events, and what you should be expecting from events in Yellowknife.

This Sustainable Event Guide was designed for the City of Yellowknife to help make planning an environmentally-friendly event simple and straightforward to do; just follow the simple checklist for guidance on waste reduction and diversion, energy consumption, transportation and provision of NWT water.

Use this guide for all sorts of events! Private and public events, meetings, festivals, parades, races, and public assemblies!

Click the Link below to open the guide:

Yellowknife Sustainable Event Guide

Composting in Remote Northern Camps

Waste management can be a challenge for operators at remote northern camps. Transporting waste off site is expensive and often not feasible, especially in the NWT. Methods for waste management at these sites typically involve landfilling or incineration of mixed waste.

This project was completed for Environment and Climate Change Canada with the goal of producing a guide to composting at remote sites. Diverting waste from the landfill has many benefits including:

reducing wildlife interactions,
increasing worker safety,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and
reducing environmental impact of waste management at remote sites.

This is a resource for camp managers to understand and explore the options for composting at remote worksites in Northern Canada.

Click below to open the resource:

Composting in Remote Northern Camps

Managing Hazardous Waste in Your Community

Following the successful conclusion of the Clean Start program in the Sahtu, Ecology North began working with the MACA School of Community Government and the GNWT Dept of Environment and Natural Resources to develop an instructional film intended to help NWT communities to better manage their hazardous waste.

Hazardous waste superstar Gerald Enns, along with Christine Wenman and Jeremy Flatt from Ecology North, developed a script covering the basics of dealing with a disorganized stockpile of hazardous waste and developing a community hazardous waste management plan. At just shy of forty minutes, this instructional epic leaves no stone un-turned and features interviews with municipal staff in Wekweètì reflecting on their experience of removing hazardous waste from the community as well as a comprehensive demonstration by Gerald Enns of the proper process for opening un-labelled drums and identifying the contents.

Copies of the video are available from the GNWT Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Contest Instructions

Emailing your receipts:

Uploading your receipts:

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