How to Do a Bottle Drive

A bottle/can drive is one of the easiest things to do as a fundraiser. Follow these steps, and the money will roll in!

Steps

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    Find out how much bottles/cans/other recyclables are worth in your area.
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    If you have the funds:
    • Hand out flyers a week or two before the drive to all your neighbours, friends, coworkers, and family.
    • Find/rent an area for the drive e.g., (school gym, driveway, parking lot, etc.).
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    If you don't have a large budget: Pick up the bottles/cans door-to-door, without delivering flyers first.
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    Hand out flyers and give your neighbors a date you will return to get the saved bottles and cans. You and your parents can then go around and pick them up.
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    Make sure to sort and separate the bottles/cans and other refundable items.
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    Enlist someone to drive you to the depot, or rent a dump truck in return.
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    Have a general idea of how many bottles/cans you have, so you can estimate how much money you'll receive.

Tips

  • Be careful when going door-to-door.
  • If you're going door-to-door and somebody doesn't have/want to donate any bottles, and you're not shy recommend that they make a cash donation.
  • If you receive a lot of donations you may need to borrow a truck to bring them to the depot.
  • Try to enlist the help of others. You're going to need help. After all, you're not superwoman!
  • Remember to buy a lot of clear/blue/green recyclable bags.

Warnings

  • Never go inside someone's house to retrieve bottles. Say "no thanks" and walk away quickly.

Things You'll Need

  • Clear/blue/green bags
  • A driver (unless you can drive)
  • People to help you with this fundraiser.
  • A nearby depot
  • A refundable recyclable program near you

Article Info

Categories: Reduce Recycle and Reuse