Sure We Can

Sure We Can is a nonprofit redemption center and community hub based in Brooklyn, New York. Sure We Can provides container-deposit redemption services to the Brooklyn, New York area. Additionally, the organization serves as a community hub for the canner community that redeems there and for local environmental causes that promote the organizations dedication to sustainability.



History
The organization was founded in 2007 by cofounders Ana Martinez de Luco and Eugene Gadsden. 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. In 2019, the center annually processes 10 million cans and bottles for redemption, 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.