The CLYNK Bottle Redemption and Bag-Drop Process

How to CLYNK Redemption Process

After You Drop Your Bag – What’s the Story?

Stack of compacted aluminum cans in a recycling facility with sorted materials in the background.

The Process

Tech-enabled recycling

Each day, and often multiple times a day, CLYNK drivers collect your bags from our 105 Sustainability Stations and Bottle Rooms across Maine and New York. These bags are transported to one of three Material Recovery Facilities, where a dedicated team of drivers and processors works diligently to handle them. Upon arrival, each bag is scanned along with its bag tag before being opened. The contents are emptied onto a conveyor belt, where the containers are aligned into a single file and pass through a 360-degree camera array. This advanced system scans the barcode on each container, ensuring precise tracking and accountability. Once scanned, the redemption value of each container is automatically credited to your CLYNK account.

1. Pick up

We pick up your bags from each drop location daily, stack them into a truck, and bring them to one of our processing facilities in Maine or New York.

Man sorting aluminum cans on a recycling conveyor belt in an industrial facility.

2. Sort

We scan each bag tag and then empty your containers onto a conveyor belt. They are sorted into a single file line and prepared to be counted.

Plastic bottle in recycling machine at processing plant, surrounded by red lights and industrial equipment.

3. Count & Credit

Each container passes through 360-degree optical scanning sensors, which capture its barcode to accurately count the containers and instantly credit your account with the appropriate deposit.