It happens after almost every tenancy. The keys come back, you do the walkthrough, and there they are — bags of empty bottles and cans stuffed in a closet, stacked behind the fridge, or piled up on the back porch. Sometimes a few bags. Sometimes a lot more than that.
Most landlords toss them in the recycling bin or haul them to the curb without thinking twice. It’s just part of the turnover cleanup. One more thing to deal with before the next tenant moves in.
But those empties carry real money. Every eligible New York State deposit container is worth 5 cents — and if you’re a landlord with multiple units turning over across a year, those 5-cent deposits add up to a number worth paying attention to.
The Tenant Turnover Situation Most Landlords Ignore
Tenants leave things behind for all kinds of reasons. Moving day is chaotic. The security deposit matters more than a bag of empties. Some renters genuinely forget. Others just don’t bother because they figure the landlord will sort it.
Across a building with four, six, or ten units, turnover happens regularly throughout the year. Each one comes with a cleanup — and more often than not, that cleanup includes a collection of bottles and cans that somebody paid a deposit on and never claimed back.
Under New York State law, those deposits belong to whoever returns the containers. The tenant left them. You’re cleaning the unit. There’s nothing stopping you from taking those empties to a redemption center and collecting the deposit yourself.
What the Numbers Look Like Across a Rental Property
It’s easy to dismiss a bag of empties as small change. But stack up the units and the months and it starts to look different.
- One unit turns over with three bags of empties averaging 60 containers each — that’s 180 containers, or $9.
- A four-unit building with two turnovers per unit per year and the same average yield: $72 annually.
- A 10-unit building with regular turnover, plus empties left in common areas, laundry rooms, or back hallways? Easily $150 to $250 or more every year.
- Add in tenants who actively leave empties as a goodwill gesture to the landlord, or buildings where you collect from common area bins year-round, and that number climbs further.
None of this requires any extra effort beyond what you’re already doing during turnover. You’re in the unit anyway. The bags are right there. All you need is a plan for where they go.
The Simplest System: What Smart Landlords Are Doing
The landlords who consistently recover deposit money from empties aren’t doing anything complicated. They’ve just built a small habit into their existing turnover process.
Keep a dedicated collection area on your property.
A labeled bin in the utility area, basement, or parking lot gives you a consistent place to stage empties between turnovers. As you clean units, bottles and cans go straight into the bin rather than the trash. When it fills up, you either drop it off or schedule a pickup.
Add it to your turnover checklist.
Landlords who run tight operations already have a checklist for unit inspections and cleanouts. Adding “collect eligible deposit containers” as a line item takes 30 seconds and makes sure it never gets skipped in the rush of preparing a unit for the next tenant.
Schedule a regular pickup with Unlimited Redemption.
You don’t need to make a trip every time a unit turns over. Collect across multiple units into your staging area, then schedule a single pickup when the volume justifies it. Unlimited Redemption’s pickup service covers a 20-mile radius from each of the 15 Upstate NY locations — the team comes to your property, counts manually, and returns the deposit money directly to you.
👉 Schedule a Free Bottle & Can Pickup for Your Rental Property
Common Area Empties: The Volume Most Landlords Overlook
Tenant turnover is only part of the picture. Buildings with shared spaces — hallways, laundry rooms, back entrances, parking areas, rooftop decks — collect empties throughout the year, not just at move-out.
A simple labeled collection bin in a visible common area gives tenants an easy way to deposit their empties before they go to the curb. You’re not asking them to make a trip anywhere. You’re just giving them a place to put something they were probably going to leave on the counter anyway.
Buildings that have tried this report the bins filling up consistently. Tenants appreciate having the option. And landlords turn what was previously lost deposit money into a regular, predictable stream of cash.
Donate the Returns: A Way to Give Back to Your Community
Not every landlord wants to pocket the deposit returns personally — and for property managers who work with community organizations, there’s a meaningful alternative.
Unlimited Redemption actively supports fundraising drives for local community organizations across Upstate New York. Deposit returns from your building can be directed to support:
- Religious organizations and faith communities running bottle drives for local programs
- Boy Scout troops and youth groups fundraising through can collections
- Bars, restaurants, and golf courses managing high-volume container returns
- Police associations and government office community programs
- Colleges, regional hospitals, and large institutions with ongoing sustainability initiatives
If your building has a connection to any of these organizations, redirecting your deposit returns is a simple way to turn a cleanup task into a genuine community contribution. Your tenants’ empties fund something local — and that’s a story worth telling.
Where to Return Across Upstate NY — 15 Locations
Unlimited Redemption operates 15 bottle and can redemption centers across Upstate New York, all inside Beer Universe stores. All containers are manually counted by staff — no machine limits, no rejections, no daily caps. Bring in whatever volume you have from your property.
- Albany — Central Ave
- Coxsackie — Route 9W
- Amsterdam — NY-30
- Kingston — Washington Ave
- Saugerties — Ulster Ave
- Schenectady — Kelton Ave
- Schenectady — Union St
- Troy — 5th Ave
- Troy — Northern Dr
- Troy — Hoosick St
- Wynantskill — Main Ave
- Malta
- Saratoga
- Queensbury
- Wilton
👉 Find Your Nearest Unlimited Redemption Location (15 Upstate NY Spots)
For property managers handling volume across multiple units or buildings, the pickup service removes the need to make any trips at all. Schedule through unlimitedredemption.com and the team handles collection at your property.
Landlords, Property Managers & Building Owners — Don’t Leave Deposit Money Behind. Visit any of the 15 Unlimited Redemption locations inside Beer Universe stores or schedule a free property pickup at unlimitedredemption.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I legally keep the deposit money from bottles and cans left behind by a tenant?
Yes. In New York State, the 5-cent deposit is refunded to whoever returns the eligible container — there is no requirement that the original purchaser be the one to return it. If a tenant leaves empties behind when they vacate, those containers are effectively abandoned property. As the landlord cleaning the unit, you are entitled to return them and collect the deposit. This is no different from any other abandoned item left on the property after a tenancy ends.
Is there a limit to how many containers I can bring in from a rental property at once?
No. Unlimited Redemption places no daily cap on the number of containers you can return in a single visit. All containers are counted manually by staff, which means every eligible bottle and can is accounted for regardless of volume. This is a significant advantage for landlords dealing with multi-unit returns or the output of larger buildings, where a single trip might involve hundreds or even thousands of containers.
Can I set up a recurring pickup schedule for my rental property rather than making individual trips?
Yes, and for property managers with multiple units this is usually the most practical arrangement. You collect empties across turnovers and common areas into a staging point on your property, then Unlimited Redemption picks up on a scheduled cadence — monthly, bi-weekly, or whatever interval matches your building’s volume. The pickup service covers a 20-mile radius from all 15 Upstate NY locations. Schedule through unlimitedredemption.com to set up a recurring arrangement.
Can I direct the deposit returns from my building to a local charity or community organization instead of keeping them?
Absolutely. Unlimited Redemption supports community fundraising drives across Upstate New York and works with a wide range of organizations including religious communities, youth groups, police associations, colleges, and hospitals. If you’d like deposit returns from your property to go toward a local cause, reach out through unlimitedredemption.com to discuss how to set that up. It’s a straightforward way to turn routine property cleanup into something that benefits your neighborhood.
