IN NEW YORK STATE, THE RETURNABLE CONTAINERS ACT OF 1982, OR BOTTLE BILL, ENCOURAGES RECYCLING BY CHARGING A REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT OF $0.05 ON CERTAIN BEVERAGE CONTAINERS, CURRENTLY INCLUDING STILL AND SPARKLING WATER, SODA, AND BEER.

The Bottle Bill allows marginalized people in New York City to scrape together a living by collecting and redeeming cans and bottles discarded by others. This work has come to be known as “canning.”

The activity of canning is physically demanding, emotionally challenging and logistically complex. Yet, for many non-English speaking immigrants, people experiencing disability, or folks living on the streets, it’s a precious lifeline in terms of being able to work and earn income.

Sure We Can helps canners make a living by operating a redemption center–directly redeeming returnable bottles and cans–and pays these New Yorkers the full $0.05 refund per container, as required by the law, and up to 20-25% added value for sorted containers, which is unique among redemption centers. SWC also provides essential services which can be difficult to access for canners, including composting toilets and handwashing stations for community use and a shared community space for canners to congregate and interact without fear of stigma or violation, as well storage space for canners’ carts and bags. More importantly, though, SWC treats them with respect and care.

After cans are sorted and redeemed, SWC schedules pickups with distributors that represent the manufacturers of the original products.

Distributors only pick up the redeemed containers in pre-sorted bulk units and reimburse SWC the $0.05 refund paid to its clients. An additional payment of $0.035 per container–called a handling fee–goes towards the sorting fees and organizational costs.