By Daniel Perez-Crouse
In our March 2025 issue, we covered The People’s Depot (TPD) and noted that they were looking to have their own brick and mortar building. They are now in the final stages of securing a location. It will be called an Alternative Access Redemption Center (AARC) and expand on their current service model in a permanent, enclosed, all-weather facility.
As a refresher, TPD is a beverage redemption center that gives members of the SE community an opportunity to earn an income and contribute to sustainability. They currently serve over 100 canners a day, informal workers who collect and redeem bottles and cans for money.
The new proposed location, only a mile away, is at 1109 SE Brooklyn St., near the corner of SE Milwaukie Ave. and Powell Blvd. The organization’s FAQ states, “this location was chosen because it is situated outside of dense residential and commercial areas while remaining easily accessible.”
The current Morrison Bridge site is outdoors and lacks basic infrastructure like running water and bathrooms. It has also reached capacity, processing tens of thousands of transactions each year. The new site will increase operating capacity and improve conditions for canners, depot operators and the surrounding community. However, canners will still mostly be capped at 400 cans ($40) per day to keep people moving through efficiently.
Kris Brown, Operational Manger at TPD, says this will be a huge benefit to the community they serve and it reflects well on the city that they were able to secure funding and support for it from stakeholders like Governor Tina Kotek, Mayor Keith Wilson, Portland Solutions and Portland Metro Chamber. Costs for the facility are shared 50/50 between Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) and large grocery retailers, with Ground Score Association’s TPD responsible for day-to-day operations.
Brown is excited to create a warm, inviting and trauma informed space that makes everyone there feel welcomed and comfortable. He is eager to perfect the aesthetics of the space and wants the design, look and feel to be pleasant and trauma informed.
It will also be a boost to their employees since a majority of them will be able to work full-time, while continuing their current, fair wages. Brown is also proud that he has retained 100 percent of her staff over time and that they feel respected and valued.
Brown says discussions with neighborhood associations, as part of their process to secure the location, has been overall positive. There are occasional worries and misconceptions about the population they serve, but he says people have been receptive and understanding. “The most common concerns are noise from cans and it may bring in drugs, crime or other associated problems. And what I remind people is a majority of who we serve are good, respectable people just trying to get some support, make money and don’t want to cause any disturbance.”
TPD’s FAQs details that funders of the AARC Coalition are also partnering with the Mayor’s Office and City of Portland to fund dedicated hours from the Portland Police Bureau’s Behavioral Health Unit and Service Coordination Team, who will conduct patrols and outreach around the new AARC. Their goal is to deter and reduce any potential drug dealing and drug use in the vicinity of the AARC and to connect customers with services via the Service Coordination Team.
It’s also worth noting that in a survey of over 150 people at TPD, canners spend a majority of their money on essentials like food and shelter, have been canning for over 10 years and 64 percent of them leave the TPD after they are finished redeeming their containers.
Brown says he has gained a newfound appreciation for all small businesses after going through all the trials and tribulations of opening one “the right way.”
Should everything continue to go as planned, they hope to open the new TPD before the end of the year. Proposed hours are 9 am-2 pm (or possibly 10 am-3 pm), Monday through Friday.
A canner at The People’s Depot deposits his collection. Photo by Kris Brown.
