Looking for a way to raise money for your favorite nonprofit or charity — without asking donors for money?
If you live in one of the 10 U.S. states with bottle bills or one of the roughly 60 states, provinces, or countries worldwide that collect container deposits on beverage cans and bottles, consider collecting and redeeming clean empties and donating the proceeds to worthy causes.
You’ll not just help the recipients, you’ll also increase these containers’ chances of being responsibly recycled, rather than going into landfills or fouling ground and water ecosystems. Plus, you’ll be part of a growing movement that’s modernizing how we recycle.
The Power of Deposit Return Systems
Container deposit programs, also known as Deposit Return Systems (DRS), are remarkably effective at capturing beverage containers for recycling. Research shows that deposit return systems help our planet and your wallet, with states that have bottle bills achieving recycling rates between 60-90% compared to just 24-26% in states without such programs.
Recent modernization efforts are paying off. Connecticut’s redemption rate jumped from 44% in 2023 to 65% in 2024 after increasing the state increased deposits from 5¢ to 10¢ and expanded the types of containers covered. California collected 1.5 billion more containers in 2024 after adding wine and spirits bottles to its deposit program. These successes demonstrate that updated programs with higher deposits and broader coverage dramatically improve recycling outcomes.
Turning Container Deposit Refunds Into Donations
Globally, can and bottle deposit refunds provide millions of dollars to charities and nonprofits annually. Many deposit refund centers make it easy for you to donate your refunds to charities through various methods:
CLYNK System (Northeastern U.S.): CLYNK operates collection centers in Iowa, Maine, New York, and Oregon in the U.S., as well as in New Brunswick, Canada. Their innovative bag-drop system has helped recycle over 2.6 billion containers and facilitated more than $4.7 million in donations through their “CLYNK to Give” program. Users can easily direct their refunds to thousands of participating nonprofits.
BottleDrop Give (Oregon): Oregon’s BottleDrop Give program has become one of the nation’s most successful container deposit fundraising systems. Since 2015, thousands of Oregon nonprofits have raised funds through the Blue Bag program, where supporters fill bags with containers and drop them at any BottleDrop location. The program has:
- Supported fundraising for thousands of nonprofits statewide
- Created the BottleDrop Emergency Fund, which raised $200,000 for the Oregon Food Bank during COVID-19
- Launched matching donation campaigns, with donations up to $35,000 matched
- Enabled direct online transfers from BottleDrop accounts to nonprofit fundraising accounts
Organizations such as Oregon Energy Fund, the Association of Oregon Recyclers, and Oregon Environmental Council use BottleDrop Give for fundraising.
TOMRA Reverse Vending Machines revolutionized container returns with advanced technology. In 2024, TOMRA launched the TOMRA R2 reverse vending machine with expanded charity donation capabilities.
TOMRA machines used by Australia’s Return and Earn program have helped raise over $2.5 million for charities, schools, and community groups. Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme, which launched in November 2023, allows consumers to make donations through reverse vending machines and mobile apps.
Traditional Collection Methods: Many redemption centers now offer donation envelopes at their locations, making it easy to designate your refund to charity. These lower-tech options remain popular at smaller, independent redemption centers that don’t use automated systems.
Plus, Traditional Grassroots Efforts: Watch for one-time and ongoing efforts by individuals, schools, religious groups, scout troops, and other organizations that collect containers through drives and community campaigns.
States with Deposit Programs in 2025
Currently, 10 U.S. states have active container deposit systems:
- California (10¢; expanded to include wine/spirits and juice containers in 2024)
- Connecticut (10¢)
- Hawaii (5¢)
- Iowa (5¢)
- Maine (5¢-15¢ depending on container size)
- Massachusetts (5¢)
- Michigan (10¢)
- New York (5¢; 10¢ increase proposed)
- Oregon (10¢)
- Vermont (5¢-15¢ depending on container size)
Note: Several states, including Minnesota, are actively considering bottle bill legislation for implementation in 2026.
Finding Bottle Donation & Redemption Centers
Any place that collects can or bottle deposits will also have one or more redemption venues:
Retail Stores, particularly beverage stores, often have reverse vending machines where you can insert your returns for cash, store credit, or account credit. You may already shop at a store that has one of these. Some of these machines only accept containers for brands sold at the store, while newer models like TOMRA’s R2 can process 100+ containers at once in a multi-feed system.
Redemption Centers, whether private or government-run centers, usually accept a wider variety of container brands than retail stores. They typically have a per-day/per-person limit, restricting the number of items or the total amount you can redeem that day. Modern centers like BottleDrop Redemption Centers offer self-serve machines, hand counting, and bag drop services.
Bulk Redemption Programs are helpful if you have large quantities of cans or bottles. However, your redemption is typically calculated by weight, with the payment translating to as little as one cent per can, versus the container redemption of five cents or more. Oregon’s BottleDrop offers high-volume plant drop-offs for nonprofits running large collection drives.
Preparing to Donate
Step 1: Choose Your Worthy Causes
If your favorite charity or nonprofit already has container deposit-redemption relationships or you can drop off your empties for them to redeem, follow their instructions.
If they don’t, look for redemption options that let you direct the money to them, pick another organization, or pick from the worthy causes that local collection and redemption centers support. Alternatively, you can redeem your containers in the most convenient location and send your refund to your favorite worthy cause.
New for 2025: Check if your charity is registered with programs like:
- BottleDrop Give in Oregon
- CLYNK to Give in Maine, New York, Iowa, or Oregon
- TOMRA donation partners in states using TOMRA machines
- Victorian Container Deposit Scheme in Australia (for international reference)
Step 2: Identify Where You’ll Redeem Your Cans and Bottles
Find local collection/redemption centers, “reverse vending machines,” other collection sites (such as nonprofits or schools), and/or local will-pick-up organizations.
Your local supermarket or beverage store is likely to redeem cans and bottles. If they don’t, ask them where you can drop off your containers for your deposit refund. You can also find information about potential redemption locations via:
Step 3: Understand What They Accept and How Their Program Works
Do you need to take bottles to one location and cans to another? Are there brand or size limits? What are their rules (maximum quantity per drop, day, etc.)? Do you need to set up an account or install a mobile app? Do they offer tags or bags?
Digital Tools (2025): Many programs now offer mobile apps and digital features:
- BottleDrop app (Oregon): Account management and direct nonprofit donations
- Return and Earn app (Australia): TOMRA’s system for tracking and donations
- TOMRA’s digital voucher system: QR codes for paperless refunds (no app needed)
- CLYNK’s online account system: Web-based account management and nonprofit selection
Step 4: Get Set Up for Collecting Your Containers
Set up a place to collect and sort containers, for example, a box next to the kitchen trash or bags in the kitchen closet.
Confirm preparation preferences (for each redemption target), including:
- Do you need to sort containers by material type (aluminum versus plastic versus glass)?
- Do you need to empty and rinse containers that aren’t just water or seltzer?
- Is including plastic bottle caps OK or even preferred?
- Should containers be crushed or uncrushed?
If your household includes other people — or if you have occasional guests and other visitors — consider making signage listing container types to keep and these preparation steps.
Step 5: Start Saving, Redeeming, and Donating!
Save your empties and keep an eye out for additional sources of cans and bottles that may be currently be discarded, such as schools, events, offices, and community gatherings. Periodically drop off your empties or, where appropriate, schedule a pickup.
Maximize Impact: Consider organizing a community collection drive by partnering with local businesses or hosting events where people can drop off containers.
Additional Tips for Success
Based on my own efforts and feedback from successful fundraisers, here are key recommendations:
Visit Locations In Person
Before settling on a drop-off location, I strongly urge you to make an in-person visit to understand how they will handle your containers. Many are informal and old-school, with little or no online information, and may not return phone messages. However, newer facilities with TOMRA machines and BottleDrop centers typically offer more reliable digital details and customer service.
Leverage Technology
Take advantage of digital tools offered by modern systems:
- BottleDrop (Oregon): Set up online accounts for automatic tracking and real-time donation monitoring
- CLYNK: Use bag tags with QR codes for easy account crediting
- TOMRA machines: Scan QR codes for digital vouchers or select on-screen charity partners
- Mobile apps: Download system-specific apps where available for convenient account management
- Matching campaigns: Watch for special matching donation opportunities (like BottleDrop’s $35K match program)
Organize Effectively
Here’s some additional deposit bottle collection fundraiser advice from Fundraiser Insight:
- Create clear signage for collection points
- Establish regular pickup schedules
- Partner with local businesses for collection sites
- Promote your efforts on social media
- Thank donors and share impact stories
How You Can Advocate
If you don’t live in one of the 10 states where deposit programs are currently in force:
- Contact your state legislators and ask them to introduce and support bottle bill legislation. BottleBill.org offers a helpful guide to launching a bottle bill campaign in your state.
- Start your local campaign by visiting several grocers and asking to speak with the managers. Tell them you’re considering where you’ll do your grocery shopping. Share your desire to see a bottle bill and urge their company to join the call for modern DRS programs in your state.
- Ask retailers to provide bottle and can drop-off bins as a first step, even before legislation passes.
- Share success stories from states like Connecticut, which saw redemption rates jump 21 percentage points after modernization.
Looking Forward
Depending upon your local container deposit redemption options, you may be able to turn your empty containers — and those from friends, businesses, and organizations — into funding for worthy causes. While you’ll likely need a bit of patience and commitment, and should be prepared for some frustration both in locating venues and in processing the returns/redemptions, the results are worth it.
With 2025 bringing expanded programs, improved technology, and growing awareness of the benefits of deposit return systems, now is an excellent time to start collecting containers for charity. Whether you’re using traditional bag-and-drop methods or reverse vending machines with digital donation capabilities, you’re contributing to environmental sustainability and community resilience.
Editor’s Note: Originally published on November 11, 2020, this article was substantially updated in November 2025.
