BY JILL NAGY
MT Returnables, long a fixture in Corinth,
opened a second location at 4 Adelphi St. in
Saratoga Springs at the beginning of the year.
The company redeems deposit bottles and cans,
anything with a New York state deposit label.
Owner Bob Ball said that things started slowly
but “the numbers are coming up slowly” and he
expects that “as it gets warmer and the snow starts
melting, it will begin to pick up.”
Judging by his experience in Corinth, Ball
expects to have a “pretty crazy place” by spring.
MT pays cash (no bottle slips to take to the
checkout counter) and, he said, there are no
machines and no waiting. People are asked to
separate their glass, plastic and metal into separate
piles and, if they pre-count, they can go to the
head of the line.
To assist in pre-counting, the company provides
standard-size bags that hold a known quantity of
containers. Glass containers should be in boxes
and MT does not accept crushed or broken containers.
Most of the customers bring household empties,
Ball said, although there are a small number who go out and collect
containers from the roadside or trash cans. He will accept them so long
as they
are clean.
For now, Ball’s only help comes from his two
daughters, Jade and Chelsea. Jade takes care of
much of the bookkeeping and online duties. When
the weather gets warmer and business picks up,
however, he expects to hire three or four additional
employees.
The company offers assistance to organizations
planning bottle drives. They will help put the drive
together and donate a 10 percent bonus to the organization.
They also maintain a list on their website,
MTReturnables.com, of organizations people
can donate the proceeds of their containers to.
Ball pays the full amount of the deposit and then
hands over the containers to a beverage distributor
who refunds the deposit money and pays him
a handling fee.
Both redemptions centers are open from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays,
and closed on Sundays. The telephone number for
the Saratoga location is 538-0269. The Corinth
shop is at 2 Saratoga Ave. and can be reached at
654-7055.