Canning When They Can: How the Houseless Population Contributes to Recycling

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 photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty

If you are a commuter on the Portland TriMet or have driven around downtown Portland an immediate observation is the number of houseless people around the city. Adding to the abundant amount of discourse, I think a positive aspect of the houseless population is the amount of recycling that happens because of them. Many grocery stores have a bottle drop service. The line for the bottle drop service is quite long during rush hour and when you are in line it is easy to get to know one another. I find that many people who use the bottle drop service are usually houseless or are looking to make some extra cash.

Talking with many "Canners" I see the essential role that they have as major contributors to recycling. In 19721, Oregon was the first to adopt the Bottle Bill and in 2009 Oregon recycled more than one billion beverage containers which if each bottle was to be deposited, though it wasn't, it could be estimated to be 100 million dollars in deposits. Whether my experience is true I can only point to other examples around the country, for example, in California, the Bottle Bill there was designed to encourage everyone to recycle and reduce litter around the city. However, an unexpected outcome was that houseless people began using this service as an alternative source of income. One of the most prolific Canners was able to deposit an estimated 1000 pounds of bottles which was a whole ton! Which would have taken years worth of work and an estimated generous total deposit amount of 4,100 dollars. 

So how successful has the Bottle Bill been, and has it mobilized the houseless population? According to NPR, "Oregon recycled 90 percent of the beverage containers covered by its bottle deposit system." This impressive figure should be looked into more about the type of people that are recycling. Since the bottle deposit isn't a steady income and is far from a livable wage what can we do with this information? I believe that it is important to note that houseless people are resourceful and are the toughest people we have in Portland. Whether they are a regular Canner or not, I believe we should appreciate the work they do recycling bottles in our cities. 

If you are interested in learning more about recycling and cleaning up around Portland look no further than SOLVE Oregon. They are also looking for event leaders that will coordinate recycling events for the community. To learn more about recycling in Portland here is a website with various resources that collect recycle material and items in Portland. 



Source: 

Can Manufactures Institute(2023, April 10) Sustainability. Can Manufacturers Institute. https://www.cancentral.com/sustainability

National Public Broadcasting (2019, February 4) Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/02/04/688656261/oregon-bottle-deposit-system-hits-90-percent-redemption-rate


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