What Sure We Can does

Sure We Can is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 and headquartered at 219 McKibbin Street in Brooklyn, New York. It operates as a bottle and can redemption center that serves canners — independent, often immigrant, recyclers who collect containers from the streets and earn income by redeeming them at the 5-cent NY State Bottle Bill rate. The organization is described as NYC's only non-profit redemption center and processes approximately 1 million bottles per month across its two Brooklyn locations (the founding McKibbin Street site and a satellite opened in March 2025 at 1762 East New York Ave, led by AIR-NYC President Josefa Marín).

Beyond redemption, the organization's product surface includes a Mobile Pickup Service, e-waste recycling events, and a community programming portfolio spanning arts, education, gardening, composting, workforce development, and cultural events. Canners who sort their own materials can earn up to 20% more at Sure We Can than at competing centers, and the facility provides protected indoor workspace, onsite storage, health outreach, and rights education — none of which are offered by any other redemption center in New York.

The revenue model blends three streams: bottle and can redemption income (transaction-fee model at $0.05/container), donations and grassroots fundraising (including year-end appeals targeting $30,000 and Donor Advised Fund contributions), and grants from foundations. The organization has experienced a decline of over $100,000 in annual recycling revenue due to deteriorating participation in the NY Bottle Bill program and faces a $65,000 funding gap in FY2026 after funders withdrew from multi-year commitments. It actively lobbies alongside the Bottle Bill 40 Coalition, NYPIRG, Beyond Plastics, and New York is Not Disposable to raise the deposit from 5 to 10 cents.

Name

Sure We Can

Legal name

Sure We Can

Website

https://surewecan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sure We Can is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a bottle and can redemption center that serves independent canners, providing fair compensation, dignified workspace, and community programming including arts, education, and workforce development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Deposit Return System (DRS) / Bottle Bill Counting & Processing Centers (BPALADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reusable Packaging & Refill Systems (Returnable Transport Items, Deposit/DRS Ops) (EUAIANAE), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Bottle redemption services
• Nonprofit recycling center
• Community sustainability programs
• Bottle bill advocacy
• Canner economic empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Bottle and Can Redemption: The organization generates revenue through redeeming bottles and cans submitted by canners. Revenue fluctuates based on redemption volumes and NYS Bottle Bill rates (currently 5 cents). The organization notes a drop of over $100,000 in annual recycling revenue due to deteriorating participation in the NY program.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Sure We Can raises funds through donations, including year-end fundraisers (targeting $30,000), Donor Advised Fund donations, and grassroots community support to maintain staffing and programs.
3. Grants and Institutional Funding: The organization receives grant funding from foundations, though noted that funders have backed out of multi-year programs, creating a $65,000 gap in 2026. Grant approval processes are described as slower and more competitive.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Sure We Can operates a nonprofit bottle and can redemption center in Brooklyn, NY, where canners—neighbors who collect bottles and cans from the streets—redeem materials for the New York State Bottle Bill deposit (5 cents per container). The organization supplements redemption services with a community space, education, arts, gardening, workforce development programming, a mobile pickup service, and advocacy for Bottle Bill expansion.

Product overview

Sure We Can operates as a non-profit recycling redemption center network with two physical locations in Brooklyn, NY. The main site at 219 McKibbin Street serves as both a recycling redemption center and community space, while the new satellite site at 1762 East New York Ave expands their reach. Additional services include a Mobile Pickup Service and community programs in education, arts, and gardening. The organization supports canners—neighbors who collect cans and bottles—through social inclusion, environmental awareness, and economic empowerment initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Recycling Center & Community Space (McKibbin Street) Primary bottle and can redemption center located at 219 McKibbin Street, Brooklyn NY 11206, where canners redeem bottles and cans for the NYS Bottle Bill deposit while accessing community resources, workforce development programming, and social support services. Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 AM-5:00 PM, Sat 7:30 AM-1:00 PM.
• Satellite Recycling Center (East New York) First satellite bottle and can redemption site located at 1762 E New York Ave, Brooklyn NY 11207, replicating the main center's combined recycling and community development model in a new neighborhood.
• Mobile Pickup Service A mobile pickup service that collects bottles and cans from schools, restaurants, buildings, and work offices, complementing the fixed-site redemption centers and supporting organizations' internal collection and donation programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Canners can earn up to 20% more at Sure We Can compared to other redemption centers by sorting their own materials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AIR-NYC (Alliance of Independent Recyclers of New York City)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR-NYC is the alliance of independent recyclers in NYC. Josefa Marín, President of AIR-NYC, leads Sure We Can's new satellite site in East New York. The organizations work together on canner organizing, advocacy, and community development.
• Brooklyn OrgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on volunteer activities, including counting and sorting events during Earth Week celebrations. Organizations partner for community engagement activities.
• NYC ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented an exhibition of Siyan Wong's paintings of Chinese-speaking canners alongside Bottle Bill information at Welcome to Chinatown's space on Bowery.
• Welcome to ChinatownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted exhibition of canner paintings at their Bowery space, collaborating with NYC Connect and Siyan Wong on art and advocacy.
• Siyan WongminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist whose paintings of Chinese-speaking canners were exhibited alongside Bottle Bill information in collaboration with NYC Connect and Welcome to Chinatown.
• ArtolutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that works with marginalized communities to create public art. Helped paint murals at Sure We Can's van and at the new satellite site in East New York.
• Bottle Bill 40 CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working to expand the NY State Bottle Bill. Sure We Can is an active member, participating in rallies, lobbying efforts, and advocacy campaigns to raise the bottle deposit from 5 cents to 10 cents.
• NYPIRGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York Public Interest Research Group co-hosts lobbying webinars with the Bigger Better Bottle Bill coalition. Sure We Can participates in these advocacy training and mobilization efforts.
• Beyond PlasticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization providing information and resources for Bottle Bill advocacy. Coordinates call-in campaigns and provides talking points for supporters.
• New York is Not DisposablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the Bottle Bill campaign, working with Bottle Bill 40 Coalition on packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure advocacy.
• The Binners Project (Vancouver)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization in Vancouver, Canada. Sure We Can is inspired by their work and uses pop-up redemption events to demonstrate the impact of modernizing the bottle bill.
• Congresswoman Yvette ClarkeminorOthersHosted Sure We Can's Executive Director Ryan McGowan on a sustainability panel at Brooklyn College during Earth Week 2025.
• Council Member Jen GutiérrezminorOthersCollaborated with Sure We Can on e-waste recycling event at the McKibbin Street site in July 2025.
• LES Ecology CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Sure We Can on e-waste recycling events in collaboration with Council Member Jen Gutiérrez.
• Marina ZuritaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based theater artist who created 'Riven,' a play based on interviews with waste pickers in Brazil and NYC. Presented at Sure We Can in June 2025.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Binners Project: Vancouver-based nonprofit that supports bottle collectors and informal recyclers through organizing, advocacy, and improved working conditions. Directly comparable to Sure We Can as a sister nonprofit redemption/community organization for canners, and is referenced by Sure We Can as an inspiration for pop-up redemption events.

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management Inc. Largest North American waste and recycling services company, operating materials recovery facilities, collection, and disposal across the U.S. Comparable to Sure We Can as a broad incumbent in the recycling/waste management value chain, but operates at vastly larger scale and does not focus on the nonprofit, DRS-only model.
• Republic Services: Major U.S. provider of non-hazardous solid waste collection, recycling, and disposal services, including materials recovery facilities serving municipalities and commercial accounts. Comparable as a broad incumbent in materials recovery, though not a redemption-center nonprofit.
• Casella Waste Systems: Northeast U.S. solid waste, recycling, and resource management operator with materials recovery facilities across multiple states. Comparable as a regional broad incumbent in recycling and resource recovery, overlapping with Sure We Can's NYC geography but with a for-profit, diversified model.
• Recology: Employee-owned West Coast integrated solid waste and recycling company operating collection, MRFs, and composting. Comparable as a broad incumbent in recycling infrastructure, though geographically distant and structured as an employee-owned company rather than a community nonprofit.
• Sims Metal Management: Global metals recycling and materials recovery company that buys, processes, and sells recycled metal, with MRF operations in North America. Comparable as a downstream buyer/processor of recycled commodities that Sure We Can's bottle and can stream ultimately flows into.
• Rumpke Waste & Recycling: Family-owned Midwest integrated waste and recycling company operating hauling, transfer stations, and a large MRF. Comparable as a broad incumbent in materials recovery, though operating primarily in Ohio and surrounding states rather than NYC.

Others

• TOMRA: Norwegian technology company that designs reverse vending machines and sorting systems used in deposit return schemes worldwide. Comparable as an enabling infrastructure provider in the DRS value chain that Sure We Can operates within, though TOMRA is a B2B equipment supplier rather than a community-based operator.
• Closed Loop Partners: New York-based investment firm and advisory focused on building the circular economy through investments in recycling infrastructure, reusable packaging, and DRS-related ventures. Comparable as a thematically adjacent capital and ecosystem participant in the same DRS and circular economy space.

Regional players

• Balcones Resources: Texas-based recycling and waste services company operating MRFs and zero-waste programs for commercial and municipal customers. Comparable as a regional recycling operator, but focused on a different geography than Sure We Can's NYC footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/surewecannyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAmcKxcJAr7lrYXehL4ueeQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SureWeCanNYC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sure-we-can
• Instagraminstagram.com/surewannyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sure We Can