WENDELL — The Wendell Recycling and Transfer Station stopped redeeming bottles and cans over the summer, a change that is expected to impact the Good Neighbors Food Pantry that was receiving the money generated from those refundable items.

Resident Tom Mangan came to a recent Wendell Selectboard meeting to voice his concerns about the change and its impact on the food pantry, but board members told Mangan they could not formally respond to him because he was speaking during the meeting’s public-comment portion. Members said they would put the matter on their Sept. 20 agenda.

“I’m here because I think that a substantial harm has been done, and is being done, to the residents of Wendell right now, as we speak, and will continue to be done if the program is shut down,” Mangan told the Selectboard.

Jan Ameen, executive director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, explained that until recently, the Wendell Recycling and Transfer Station had an attendant who sorted redeemable items from other recyclables and split the deposit refunds with the Good Neighbors Food Pantry. Residents can still bring their bottles and cans to the transfer station, but they will not be sorted.

Phil Delorey, who serves on the Road Commission that oversees the transfer station, said the program’s discontinuation was simply a policy change that was enacted following a couple of meetings pertaining to the topic. He also said he is aware some residents are unhappy with the change, which can be revised.

“We’re still working through it,” Delorey said.

While repeated calls to the Good Neighbors Food Pantry were not returned, Mangan claims the pantry averaged $727 in annual receipts from the redeemables program. He said this money is used to order from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.