On May 26th, Sure We Can and the Canal Street Research Association are holding a one-day, pop up redemption center at the Columbus Park Pavilion, where they will simulate the passage of the “Bigger Better Bottle Bill,” and all bottles and cans will be redeemed at a 10-cent rate. The event is to help build awareness for their environmental bill, which is pending legislation that would double the current redemption rate from 5 to 10 cents, while supporting some of the city’s most vulnerable populations in the area, commonly known as canners.
Artist Siyan Wong’s exhibition “Make it 10 Cents” and silent auction opened on April 14th and runs through May 28, 2026 at Welcome to Chinatown (115 Bowery) to help raise the funds to pay canners and host this event. A Community Panel discussing what’s at stake in passing the bill will take place at ISS Storefront for Ideas (127 Walker Street) as part of the Mulberry Bend Exhibition.
The teams ask: “If you know your local canners, please share with them that on Tuesday 5/26, 8am-12 noon, all cans and bottles are redeemed at 10 cents, except for dairy and juice containers, at a pop-up redemption center in Columbus Park, Chinatown.”
