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Do your homework! A depot owner can not sell you a permit. |
| Only the BCMB can provide you with a permit to operate a depot. Depot permits are non-transferable. This means that even if you purchase or lease land, a building and/or equipment, or a business that is currently operated as a depot, you are NOT guaranteed to receive a permit to operate a depot from the BCMB. |
| The BCMB considers many criteria when issuing permits. To learn about requirements for purchasing and operating a depot, review the Depot By-law under the BCMB’s governing documents page. (link provided below). |
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Prior to any purchase of an existing depot by an external entity or any change in effective control of the depot, Change of Ownership Applications must be completed and submitted to the BCMB. Please note that Change of Ownership Applications must be submitted a minimum of 60 days prior to the change of effective control taking place. A list of requirements for Change of Ownership Applications can be found here for reference. Please note that this form is not to be submitted, and is for informational purposes only. To obtain a Depot Permit, applicants must meet or surpass the standards outlined in the BCMB By-laws and approved agreements. It is recommended that applicants aim to exceed the minimum standards to enhance public access to convenient, quality, innovative, and safe beverage container recycling services in Alberta. |
| Please be advised that following the submission of an application for a Change of Ownership, there will be a 10 business day review period during which the application will be reviewed by the BCMB. You will be contacted by the BCMB when the review is complete or if more information is required. Once the application is deemed complete and free of deficiencies, there will be a 30 day conditional approval window prior to issuing the new permit. |
| If you have any questions regarding the purchase of an existing depot or the application process, please contact a BCMB Compliance Officer at compliance@bcmb.ab.ca. |
At the February 24, 2021 BCMB Board meeting, the Board of Directors approved a moratorium on Requests for Applications (RFAs) for new Depots until which time a Depot mapping and siting criteria project is complete, and outcomes have been considered by the Board. In light of Depot innovation and service abilities, this project is being undertaken to analyze population and service area data to make recommendation on potential improvements to BCMB processes and criteria to assist in siting Depots going forward. This moratorium on new Depot RFAs will remain in place until the completion of the project. The pausing of these RFAs is necessary to ensure new Depots are sited effectively and are not in conflict with any outcomes resulting from this project in the interim.
Depots are categorized into three area types: Metro, Urban and Rural
| Metro | Urban | Rural | ||||
| Description | Depots located in the Cities of Edmonton and Calgary | Depots located in municipalities with a population of more than 10,000 | Depots located in municipalities with a population of less than 10,000 | |||
| Proximity Requirement | No new depot can be located within a 3 km radius of an existing depot | No new depot can be located within a 3 km radius of an existing depot | No new depot can be located within a 24 km driving distance (by public road) of an existing depot or within 10 km of an existing urban or metro depot | |||
| Number of Depots per area | Calculated by dividing the population of the metro area by 40,000 | Calculated by adding 10,000 to the population of the urban area, then dividing the population of the urban area by 30,000 | n/a | |||
| When can I submit an application? | Only in accordance with an RFA issued by the BCMB | Only in accordance with an RFA issued by the BCMB | Only in accordance with an RFA issued by the BCMB | |||
The decision whether or not to issue an RFA is in the sole discretion of BCMB management. In determining the number and location of depots to be permitted in Alberta, BCMB management consider the following criteria:
All information provided to the BCMB for RFA purposes is considered confidential and will not be shared.
A Request For Applications (RFA) to apply for a depot operating permit will be released on the BCMB web site. For more information, please review the Depot By-law by clicking the Governing Documents link below.
If you would like to be placed on the BCMB’s RFA email list, please scroll down to enter your information. The BCMB will email you with information regarding the release of new RFAs.
For further information, please contact the BCMB:
All information provided to the BCMB for RFA purposes is considered confidential and will not be shared.
Current Depot RFAs
There are currently no open RFAs.