Delila Burns and her husband Mike Burns recycle their bottles and cans at the new BottleDrop location in Redmond in 2014. (Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file photo)

REDMOND — A clatter of bottles, cans and glass containers echoes inside the recycling area on SW Lake Avenue like marbles in a coffee can.

The noise represents happy customers to site supervisor Gage Bergeron.

“We want to make it easy for people to recycle and make it a little bit of fun,” he said Tuesday morning. “If they’re not going to enjoy it, at least make it easy.”

The nonprofit Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative in July purchased the property at 1204 SW Lake Drive from Tym USA, a North Carolina firm, for $1.48 million, according to Deschutes County property records. The recycling center opened in August inside the 20,000-square-foot warehouse. A similar center opened in Bend in December.

“People using it generally love it,” said Cherilyn Bertges, communications and outreach manager for the recycling cooperative. “In terms of measuring the success of a center, that takes a while,” she said. “In Redmond, we’re still waiting for things to level out, but it’s a success for sure.”

Shane Nichols, 34, of Redmond, was a long-time recycler but a first-time visitor to the recycling center Tuesday. Usually his daughter collects the 5-cent redemptions for the chore. He liked that an employee is available in case a glitch arises. And the improved technology allows one machine to accept all types of containers rather than the customer separating glass, plastic and aluminum into separate containers.

“Everything goes in one machine, no matter where it comes from,” he said.

Lisa Wagner, 48, of Powell Butte, likes the atmosphere inside the bottle drop. She makes a recycling run every two weeks, she said. Before the bottle drop opened, she deposited her recyclables at a grocery store collection center.

“This is a lot cleaner. And it doesn’t smell,” she said.

The facility allows three redemption methods, according to the cooperative. An employee will hand count up to 50 containers per person, usually those that the self-serve machines reject. The automated machines will accept up to 350 containers, or customers may drop off EZ Drop bags 24 hours a day and collect the cash value within 48 hours.

The recycled bottles and cans make their way into large containers, or totes, Bergeron said. The collection center gathers about 1,200 pounds of aluminum and 400 pounds of plastic each day, he said.

Glass is the most recycled material, he said. Two or three times a day, a truck hauls away a 1,600-pound tote full of glass, he said.

“Central Oregon loves their beer and loves it in glass,” Bergeron said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7815,

jditzler@bendbulletin.com