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!
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.
- My group already has a Drop & Go Account
- My group does NOT have a Drop & Go account
- I am not affiliated with a group
If your organization does have an existing Drop & Go Account:
- Register your group with Ecology North through this form.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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
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, up until and including April 4th, 2025.
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!
