Data shows that sales of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are up as people take to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a lot of empty bottles and cans laying around and consumers looking for a place to bring them.

Starting June 5, Massachusetts began requiring retailers to redeem customers’ bottle and can deposits after two months of lax enforcement of the so-called “Bottle Bill,” the state’s container-deposit law. Jon Steiner, manager of the Food City supermarket in Turners Falls, said people are continuously flocking to the store’s reverse vending machines — the ones that accept empties and spit out receipts that are exchanged for money. So much so that the business has had to impose a limit of $20 per person per day, much to the chagrin of some customers.

Steiner said Food City has three reverse vending machines — one for glass, one for plastic, one for cans. He said they get so busy it becomes nearly impossible to enforce the social distancing requirements of 6 feet.

“It has been extremely busy,” he said. “Because people need the money.”

Matthew Deane, president of Foster’s Supermarket in Greenfield, said the store’s redemption service was temporarily shut down when the pandemic started. This, he said, was necessary because Envipco, the company that leases reverse vending machines to Foster’s and picks up the glass, plastic and aluminum scraps, had suspended its services.

Deane, who co-owns the store with brother Jason Deane, said the business would not have had the space to store the bags of scraps. He said customers seem relieved the machines are back in operation, though their shutdown did not harm business.

Customers are still temporarily prohibited from bringing into the store any empties with barcodes that aren’t read by the machines. Deane said some people have been frustrated by this, though the majority have been patient and understanding.

The Big Y and Stop & Shop supermarket locations in Greenfield also offer bottle and can redemption, with certain restrictions.

The redemption service at Ruggeri’s Discount Beverage and Redemption Center in Greenfield was shut down when the pandemic started, while husband and wife owners Chris Sexton and Melissa Winters worked to understand the state regulations. They are not allowed to let customers into the store to redeem bottles and cans, so they have set up a station behind the building to serve customers.

Employees, wearing gloves and face masks, are available to assist customers between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Sexton and employee Krystal Radzuik said customers stay in their vehicles until it is their turn.

Sexton said business has remained consistently busy due to “a combination of different things,” namely because it is one of four redemption centers within 50 miles, and people are in need of money due to high rates of unemployment as a result of COVID-19.

The redemption service, Sexton said, typically averages three people in line at any one time and an average payment is usually for $10. Recently, though, there is an average of nine people waiting and the receipts are typically for $20. He said state regulations allow him to accept up to $30 worth of bottles and cans from every customer.

Business at the liquor store has also be pretty consistent, Sexton said, though he’s noticed it slows down a bit when there’s gloomy weather.

“The nicer the day, the better we do,” he said.

Sexton said unlike liquor stores like The Wine Rack, which he and his wife have owned at 70 Main St. in Greenfield for 15 years, Ruggeri’s can accept all bottles and cans, not just those they sell.

More information about the state’s bottle redemption law can be found at mass.gov.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 262.

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