Sure We Can is a non-profit redemption center and

community hub Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole c ...

based in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

Services provided

Sure We Can provides container-deposit redemption services to the

area. Any person can come to Sure We Can during business hours and redeem NY state accepted bottles and cans. Additionally, the organization serves as a

for the

canner A canner participates in canning, the collection and redemption of deposit-marked beverage containers for recycling. Canning is an activity undertaken by individuals or small teams, typically to earn an income. Canning is only possible in nations ...

community that redeems there and for local

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

causes that promote the organizations dedication to sustainability.

History

Sure We Can (SWC) was founded in 2007 by a group led by

Ana Martinez de Luco Ana Martinez de Luco (b. 1960–61) is a nun and founder of the recycling center Sure We Can. Sure We Can is New York City's only non-profit redemption center. Ana de Luco's goals include creating respectable jobs for the canners, who include imm ...

and Eugene Gadsden to serve the

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, althoug ...

community of New York. The facility is designed with canners, the people who collect cans and bottles from the streets, in mind, aiming to provide a welcoming place they can redeem their cans and bottles. Sure We Can is the only non-profit, homeless-friendly redemption center in New York City. In 2019, the center annually processes 10 million cans and bottles for

redemption Redemption may refer to: Religion * Redemption (theology), an element of salvation to express deliverance from sin * Redemptive suffering, a Roman Catholic belief that suffering can partially remit punishment for sins if offered to Jesus * Pi ...

, and serves a community of over 400 canners. Sure We Can estimates that they distribute $700,000 per year to canners. The average canner who visits Sure We Can earns $1000 per year. Starting in 2020, Sure We Can faces eviction by their landlord, who is interested in selling the lot they have rented for 10 years. As of 2021, the organization is seeking funding from either the city or private donor to buy the land. In 2021, Sure We Can worked with the Street Vendor Project to release a study documenting the impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic in New York City The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020, though later research showed that the novel coronavirus had been circulating in New York City since January, with cases of community transmission confirme ...

on canners and street vendors, whose income dwindled during restrictions even as these informal workers were ineligible for government support. Sure We Can is a member of the Community Advisory Board of New York City's

Test & Trace Corps Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

Gallery

File:Sure We Can Teaser.webm, Short video on Sure We Can - released 2021 File:Sure We Can 2020 HDR jeh.jpg, Entrance on McKibbin Street File:Recyclables at Sure We Can Aug 2021.jpg, Recyclables are stacked, palleted, and stored in

shipping containers A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context o ...

before pick-up. File:Recyclables at Sure We Can Aug 2021 2.jpg, Bottles and cans are sorted by manufacturer. File:Cans at Sure We Can Aug 2021 4.jpg, Bottles and cans are sorted and stored throughout the facility. File:Community celebration at Sure We Can Recycling center Bushwick Brooklyn.jpg, A community celebration at Sure We Can in the garden community space File:Garden Cans Bottles at Sure We Can Aug 2021.jpg, Community space and garden at Sure We Can File:Sure We Can redemption center - Bushwick, Brooklyn - Bottles & Cans.jpg, Stacks of sorted bottles and cans wait to be picked up for recycling. File:Sure We Can redemption center - Bushwick, Brooklyn - upcycling plastic film project.jpg, Sure We Can employee holds a sample sheet of the

upcycle Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value. ...

plastic film Plastic film is a thin continuous polymeric material. Thicker plastic material is often called a "sheet". These thin plastic membranes are used to separate areas or volumes, to hold items, to act as barriers, or as printable surfaces. Plas ...

product the redemption center is working on. File:Sure We Can Earthday clean 2021.jpg, Sure We Can's

community and employees clean up McKibbin St for Earth Day 2021. Sure We Can (22540).jpg, Bags of cans by the Sure We Can logo Sure We Can (22546).jpg, Sure We Can Executive Director leading a tour during

Open House New York Open House New York (OHNY) is a cultural nonprofit organization that holds annual Doors Open Days. It was founded in 2001 in New York City. Organization Open House New York (OHNY) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that hosts educational ...

References

External links

{{commonscat
Sure We CanA Revolution Is Taking Place, One Can at a Time - Village Voice - March 2022
Environmental justice in New York City Environmental organizations based in New York City Recycling in New York City Recycling in the United States Recycling organizations Waste management infrastructure of New York City Environmental justice organizations Sure We Can