Bringing bottles to a recycling depot is a fast way to clear out your recycling pile while getting a little money back. But it can often seem like an annoyance to have to make a special trip just to drop off some bottles, leading many to let the bottles build up. If you would prefer to have additional reasons to head over to a bottle depot, such as being able to take care of multiple errands at once, you can find places that offer other services or that have a secondary purpose.

Battery Recycling

Batteries should not be thrown in the trash—even typical home-use ones like alkaline batteries—because they can pollute groundwater and soil if they start to leak. Battery acid and heavy metals are two of the substances that can leach out and create a mess. Used batteries seem to build up quickly, forming a dust-gathering pile that requires a trip to a place that will take batteries for recycling.

Nowadays those places include some bottle return depots. Try to separate the batteries by type (e.g., alkaline vs. lithium), just to make recycling them easier on the company, and bring them by along with your bottles.

E-Waste Drop-off

In addition to battery recycling, some return depots now offer e-waste drop-off. From cables to computers, you can bring your old electronic goods to the depot and do some serious tidying up of your home or office. Double-check beforehand about whether the depot will charge a fee to take any particular types of electronics. Some also take appliances, but again, check to ensure you know what types. You don't want to show up with your old refrigerator only to find out the depot handles small appliances only.

Charity Fundraising

Sometimes it's not what the depot takes but what it does that can make bottle recycling less of a chore. A number of depot companies have paired bottle drop-off with charity fundraising. This does mean that you won't see the money from delivering the bottles, but you'll have contributed to a good cause. Some places use the money for research, while others use it to pay employees who have special needs and who might have trouble finding work elsewhere.

Bottle depots are really expanding the services they offer, so you can start streamlining your errands or start contributing more to charity if you prefer. Start contacting depots in your area like Vecova Centre For Disability Services & Research—you're likely to find one that offers what you need.