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A person carries bags of recyclable containers to the BottleDrop site in North Portland. (Photo by Spencer Eagleton)

Photos | The canners of North Portland

Street Roots
Redeeming cans and bottles for income often means hours in line and miles on a bike
by Spencer Eagleton | 21 Jul 2021

The wait at the bottle redemption center on North Hayden Meadows Drive can take up to three hours. And that’s after the miles-long bicycle trek some canners make to get there.

Canning, the practice of collecting recyclable containers for redemption profits, sometimes requires long trips to one of just a handful of Portland area BottleDrops. Many grocery stores stopped accepting cans and bottles when the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year, so canners were forced to travel far from the city center with bags or carts filled with recyclable items. A canner can make up to $35 per visit to the BottleDrop by returning 350 containers, the daily maximum.

A man with a bandana covering his face sits stands on a bridge with his bicycle, which pulls a cart filled with bags of recyclables.
“Ghost” pulls a retrofitted cart full of recyclable containers across a bridge to the BottleDrop redemption center on North Hayden Meadows Drive in Portland. He said he collected nearly 800 items over many days, although the limit on redeemable items at BottleDrop is 350 per day.
Photo by Spencer Eagleton

A man holds an aluminum can. Garbage bags full of recyclables lay on the ground beside him.
Greg points out the 10-cents label on a can he plans to recycle. Under Oregon law, consumers pay a 10-cent deposit on most beverage containers, and the deposit is paid back when the container is returned for recycling.
Photo by Spencer Eagleton

A shirtless man stands along the side of the road, in front of other people. At least a dozen bags full of recyclables are on the ground beside him or in carts behind him.
People wait in line at the BottleDrop redemption center in North Portland. On a busy day, people can be waiting for as long as three hours.
Photo by Spencer Eagleton

A man stands beside his bike. A cart attached to the bike is filled with several bags of recyclables stacked high.
Johnathan waits in line next to his bicycle at the BottleDrop redemption center in North Portland. He said the longest he has had to wait in line is three hours.
Photo by Spencer Eagleton

A man holds up at least eight garbage bags full of recyclable containers.
Mason prepares to carry his bags of recycling to the BottleDrop redemption center in North Portland. He often carries them more than 7 miles. “There are a bunch of little old ladies who leave their recycling out for me to collect,” he said.
Photo by Spencer Eagleton

A person puts a strap around bags of recyclables stacked high on a rolling cart
A canner secures his load of recyclable items to his bicycle trailer while waiting in line at the BottleDrop redemption center in North Portland.
Photo by Spencer Eagleton


Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
© 2021 Street Roots. All rights reserved.  | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 404.
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