By Rachel Peterson
Along a busy SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. under Morrison Bridge sits The People’s Depot (TPD), a beverage redemption center that gives members of the SE community an opportunity to earn an income and contribute to sustainability.
TPD serves over 100 canners a day, informal workers who collect and redeem bottles and cans for money, Monday-Friday, 10 am-12 pm. The majority of those working at TPD were once canners themselves. “We understand what’s going on on the other side of the table,” says Kris Brown, the operational manager of TPD. “That’s what’s missing from a lot of other bottle drops.”
TPD started in 2020 when Oregon stopped enforcing its bottle bill during the COVID-19 pandemic and canners had no place to turn in cans. In their first four years, the number of collected containers grew from 1.5 million to 9.5 million. Additionally, the return of cans and bottles prevented emissions of 545 tons of CO2 equivalent in 2021, and 585 tons in 2022, per a TPD survey.
Their numbers didn’t come from incentives or advertising. People just showed up. Much of that is due to the shared negative experiences at other local bottle drops. When it comes to their own operations, TPD makes sure that hour long wait times, judgment and ignorance don’t occur.
“We’ve been operating here for almost four years without any power, without any electricity, rain, snow, in the middle of the winter,” says Brown. “People keep showing up and showing up to work. It shows the adaptability of the people we’re trying to serve.”
The canners bring their collected containers, which are then sorted by type. After the sorting process, the canners get paid the equivalent money, up to $40 a day or 400 containers. At the end of the drop off hours, the Oregon Beverage Recycling Collective (OBRC), which TPD partners with and receives funding from, takes the containers to their own facilities to be processed.
Currently, TPD is looking to secure their own brick and mortar building, with the goal to be fully self operated. TPD hopes to gain more support from SB 992, which calls for the modernization of the Bottle Bill and could lead to more funding.
The work that TPD does isn’t without challenges. In the search for a permanent space, assumptions and social stigma are ever present. Much of that is because the majority of those who are involved are either experiencing or have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.
“It’s always ‘We support what you do, just not in my neighborhood’,” Brown commented. “We are being pushed as a homeless resource. I want my Depot to be for anyone to use.”
He mentioned how there is a common misconception that most canners spend their earned money on drugs. In reality, the majority of the money earned by canners at the depot goes towards social security, medications, food stamps and housing. TPD is also currently conducting a survey that includes collecting data on where canners are spending their money.
“They kinda group us all together and that’s not it,” shared Tom, a current employee at TPD and former canner, who asked that only his first name be used. “Canners are just as diverse as the regular public.”
Those working at TPD have been able to qualify for sliding scale rent and go on to jobs with stable income. Brown himself worked his way from living under a bridge to having his own apartment and car.
When asked about the most impactful part of being involved with TPD for him, Brown said, “To grab my own life back, and do it on my own terms.” For many others, TPD has and continues to provide the same thing.
For more information, visit groundscoreassociation.org/thepeoplesdepot.
A line of canners waiting for TPD’s services beneath Morrison Bridge. Photo by Rachel Peterson.
“the majority of the money earned by canners at the depot goes towards social security, medications, food stamps and housing.”
This is all bs, you don’t spend money to buy food stamps. You don’t pay social security for recycling cans? The person that told you all of this doesnt have a clue. Who can afford an apartment, a car and car insurance working 10 hrs a week?