Center finds returnables a great way to donate
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
MARS HILL — A ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce was held Friday, Aug. 8, at the Mars Hill Redemption Center, located at 21 Fort Street.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
THE MARS HILL REDEMPTION CENTER was the site of a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, hosted by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce. Pictured from left are: Theresa Fowler, executive director, CACC; Nola Farley, CACC member; owner Lynne Tenney; Mars Hill Town Manager Dave Cyr; owner Chris Tenney; Gail Clukey, CACC member; Peggy Carney, employee; Mars Hill Town Councilors Travis Kearney and Frank “Sam” Mahan; and Nancy Fletcher, CACC member.
This isn’t the first venture into recyclables for owners Lynne and Chris Tenney.
“We also own Rick’s Redemption in Presque Isle and Little Rick’s in Mapleton,” said Lynne Tenney. “We’ve been open in Mars Hill since mid-July of last year.”
The current structure was built last fall, giving the Tenneys a place of their own.
“When we first came to town, we were operating out of the town garage,” she said.
The site employs one individual, in addition to the Tenneys. Hours of operation are: Tuesdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tenney said the facility accepts most drink containers, except milk and cardboard cartons.
“We also ask patrons to remove caps and dump contents before bringing them in for return. Another issue is red-labeled Poland Springs containers are not returnable. Poland Springs donates red-labeled water bottles to various organizations, but since they’re donated, no deposit’s been paid. Therefore, they’re not returnable. We do, however, set them aside for the purpose of recycling,” she said.
“We’d rather you leave those with us so they can be properly disposed of, than to have them end up in a landfill or along a road,” said Tenney. “We’ll take them in, but there’s no deposit paid.”
To date, Tenney said business has been good.
“We’ve had very good business. People are asking for more hours. We’ve had steady traffic at our new facility since we opened,” she said.
Tenney said more goes into handling returnables than most people realize.
“We only take containers purchased in Maine — they’re clearly marked. When a person brings their empties to us, they’re sorted by product type and size. Currently we are doing 11 different sorts, by size, type and product. Many of the returnables are then picked up by distributors such as Coke and Pepsi,” said Tenney.
At the Presque Isle facility, sorting is even more diverse.
“We have more room at the Presque Isle center. Since we took over in 2003, we’ve added 100 sorts. We’ve seen an increase in the number of brands and labels for various products, especially in the bottled water market,” she said.
Business hours for Presque Isle are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In Mapleton, hours are Wednesdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
She said bringing in returnables is not only a way to add a little cash to your pocket, it’s also a good way to help others in need.
“We have accounts set up for donations at all our facilities. In Mars Hill alone we have 40-50 accounts set up to accept money from returnables as donations to various organizations. We pay six cents per bottle or can to the nonprofit organization of your choice,” said Tenney. “We just paid one of the local classes over $200 — money designated for the class from returnables.”
“People have already paid the deposit. It’s an easy way to donate,” noted Tenney.
For more information, call 551-4744.
