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A photo of many cans in clear plastic bags at Ground Score Association's The People's Depot in Southeast Portland Oregon
Ground Score Association The People's Depot Container Redemption Center Portland Oregon

The People's Depot (TPD) is a beverage container redemption center located at 800 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97214 (under the Morrison Bridge) that is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 12 pm. It is operated by canners, for canners—people who collect cans and bottles for income. Ground Score started TPD as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic when Oregon stopped enforcing its Bottle Bill and canners were left with few places to redeem cans and bottles.

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All aluminum cans and plastic and glass beverage containers that are redeemable for Oregon's 10 cent deposit are accepted at TPD. Currently, TPD accepts up to 400 containers per person per day.

A Ground Score canner with a bike carrying a huge bag of cans over their head in Portland Oregon
Ground Score Association The People's Depot

Each day TPD processes about 30,000 beverage containers for recycling and serves 100+ canners. One of the most efficient redemption centers in town, TPD serves a person a minute. The People’s Depot was initially supported by the City of Portland and is now funded by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative and private donations.  

Ground Score Association The People's Depot Circular Economy

The People’s Depot generates formal, benefitted jobs for workers with a background in informal can and bottle collection, serves hundreds of canners a week in the Central Eastside, and prevents the emission of hundreds of tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year.

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The People's Depot would like to share its space! We are seeking community partnerships with people who are interested in providing additional services to our community. This can be hot meals, sack lunches, or supplies that our community needs.

If you're interested in helping us out from 10 am to 12 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and/or Thursdays–either one time or regularly–please contact Kristofer Brown at:

Kris[at]groundscoreassociation[dot]org or 971-713-6418

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Photo showing the People's Depot in Portland, Oregon in operation, which is located under a road bridge. In the foreground are three large trash bags full of bottles and cans in the bottom corners of the image, plus a white sign with dark letters that reads "The People's Depot open 10 am-12 pm." The ground is made of pavement, and the sky is cloudy. About 8 recyclers are returning their bottles and cans, one of whom has a bike. Behind the recyclers are about 3 Ground Score workers counting the bottles and cans in small blue plastic kiddie pools being reused for that purpose on top of fold-up tables. Behind them is a shipping container that is used to store bags of bottles and cans.
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Total containers processed at TPD:

2021: 3,834,424 (an average of 319,535 per month) 

2022: 3,957,818 (an average of 329,818 per month) 

2023: 7,500,439 (an average of 625,036 per month)

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Average # of people served per hour: 

2021: 31 customers per hour

2022: 49 customers per hour

2023: 60 customers per hour 

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Total customers served in 2023: 19,676

Number of workers currently employed: 10 (all benefitted payroll employees)

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