Circular Economy: Recycling and Reuse in Bushwick

Ever wonder about those New Yorkers who make their living by collecting and redeeming cans and bottles? This walking tour, co-led by a canner, will offer a peek into the life of this segment of society who make a living, 5 cents at a time, off of what the rest of us throw away. It will include a short tour of Bushwick and highlight the work of Sure We Can, the city’s only non-profit redemption center, and will end with a tour of SWC’s facility, where over a million cans and bottles were recycled in 2021. We’ll have a brief demonstration of how cans and bottles are sorted, redeemed and returned to beverage distributors. We will also discuss other local circular economy efforts such as composting and city sanitation programs.