The Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre (Bottle Depot) is located in the Star Transfer building at 120 Silica in Nelson. The building is just by the entrance to Cottonwood Creek Park across the bridge from Nelson Ford. The depot has been providing beverage container recycling services for the Nelson area since 1982. As the need for recycling has grown, so too has the bottle depot. As an authorized Encorp Pacific (Canada) depot, the Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre accepts and refunds full deposit on literally hundreds of beverage containers, including glass and plastic bottles, aluminium pop cans, apple and tomato juice tins, bag-in-a-box and pouch containers, drink cartons, milk containers and plastic jugs.

In addition to managing non-alcoholic beverage containers, in October 2001 Encorp Pacific (Canada) won the contract to manage wine, spirits, and imported beer and cooler containers. As a result, the Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre now pays full refund on all alcoholic beverage containers falling within the Encorp Pacific (Canada) management system.

For specific information concerning beverage containers that fall within the Encorp Pacific (Canada) management system, please visit Return-it.ca.

The Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre also accepts domestic refillable glass beer bottles and aluminum beer cans that fall under the stewardship of Brewers Distributors Ltd., a company owned by Molson and Labatt Breweries. It is important to understand that the Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre cannot pay full refund on BDL products as BDL does not yet pay a handling fee for the containers we collect on their behalf. Prices paid vary, so please enquire at the depot if you have any questions, but keep in mind that 100% of the bottle depot’s net profit goes to supporting the Nelson Leafs hockey club and the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation.

Yes, every time you donate your refundable containers at the depot, the Nelson Leafs donate a portion of those donations directly to the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation!

Other products accepted at the depot for recycling are electronics, small appliances, batteries, light bulbs and fixtures, toys and paint.

In October 2019, the Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre opened a House Hazardous Waste recovery program in co-operation with the Regional District of Central Kootenay.  This allows residents to safely dispose of almost all hazardous products including insecticides, weed killers, spray products and used motor oil while protecting the environment and keeping such products out of the landfill.  All  HHW returns must be presented to depot staff for inspection who are specially trained to deal with hazardous items.