BIDDEFORD — The owners of a redemption center in Biddeford say a new reverse vending system could revolutionize the way the entire state recycles.
Diana McKee and John Marcotte of Biddeford Bottle & Can Redemption Center on Alfred Street said the TOMRA system from Norway is an automated way to collect, sort and handle the return of used drink containers. The husband and wife team worked on implementing the system at their business for six months before it was unveiled in August. An open house to showcase the equipment will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at the center, 310 Alfred St.
“We ran a half a million bottles through it to make sure it met our standards before opening it to the public,” Marcotte said.
How did the center handle recycling before leasing and installing three TOMRA machines?
“The way we did it 41 years ago,” Marcotte said. “Manually, counting by hand.”
Marcotte’s father started the business that many years ago on West Street — the first licensed redemption center in the state — when the state enacted the Beverage Container Redemption Program, or Bottle Bill. The couple helped start CLYNK in 2005 and used their showroom on Alfred Street to promote the program, but CLYNK went in a direction they didn’t like.
Originally, the Alfred Street building was the location of Crystal Bottling Company.
“We’ve waited for a technology that would best meet customer needs,” McKee said.
Both called the CLYNK system frustrating, because of how quickly the machine fills.
TOMRA machines can handle 7,000 cans and 3,500 plastics before it needs a bin change.
CLYNK also requires the use of plastic bags. Users spend $1.75 on a box of 10. The TOMRA system eliminates the use of the thousands of bags a year McKee said their business used to require.
Cans and bottles — plastic and glass — are inserted into a chute at the front of the machine where it scans barcodes, materials and shapes to identify the type of packaging and give the correct deposit fund. The machine registers and keeps track of all deposits and when the user prints a receipt, it shows the value of the recycling refund that can be redeemed at the cash register.
After traveling through the machine, cans and plastics are crushed and glass is broken to ensure the barcodes can’t be scanned more than once. The items are deposited in large bins at the back of the machine.
Bottle and beverage producers transport the materials for cleaning or refilling. Non-refillable containers are washed, shredded and used for the production of new containers.
Like CLYNK, the program can be used to raise money for charities. Customers can also drop off bottles and staff will scan the materials, after which a running total is kept on the customer’s account for them to redeem when they want. There’s also a rotation plan where customers collect refunds from their last drop off, while leaving a new load.
Biddeford Bottle & Can Redemption Center includes an area for children and murals that feature nature scenes.
“I want people to know that they’re doing a good thing,” McKee said. “Even though you’re getting paid 5 cents a bottle or can, you’re making a choice. It’s where recycling matters.”
Marcotte and McKee say the TOMRA system is not only more efficient than what they’ve done in the past, it’s more environmentally friendly and cleaner.
Another TOMRA machine is being used in South Portland, but in a situation where it’s not accessible to the public.
“It’s a shame not to utilize this technology the way it’s meant to be used,” Marcotte said.
Biddeford’s machines serve as an official showroom for the TOMRA company and demonstrate how they are supposed to be used, he said.
Marcotte says the future of recycling is in reverse vending.
“You’re going to see these at every checkout in the state,” he said. “If you’re not looking at the future, you might as well just go away.”
The couple said the machines didn’t replace employees, adding, however, that the hope is installation of the machines will be a way to maintain and increase their income.
“It’s difficult when your income is set by law and regulated by the state,” said McKee, referring to the Bottle Bill. “You have to think outside the box because you’re not going to stay afloat.”
McKee and Marcotte are hoping for an increase in the handling fees they receive from beverage companies with LD 575: An Act to Increase the Bottle Redemption Deposit and the Amount Retained by Bottle Redemption Center, sponsored by Rep. Sheldon Hanington (R-Lincoln).
The last raise granted to redemption centers was half a penny 12 years ago.
Under the Bottle Bill works, consumers pay a refundable deposit on beverages at stores, then reclaim deposits when they bring bottles and cans back to a redemption center. Stores give all of those deposits to the bottling companies, which then reimburse the redemption centers for the deposits paid to consumers — plus a handling fee per bottle. The fee is how redemption centers make money and how bottling companies pay for the program.
Unclaimed deposits go back to distributors in Maine. In Massachusetts, they go to state coffers.
McKee said municipalities in Maine would benefit from making items such as mayonnaise containers redeemable and it would decrease contamination in recycling.
“When you put a value on something, people are going to look at it differently, she said. “If that’s what works in life, let’s do it.”
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
