Family-Owned Business Expands from Flagship Corinth Location
SARATOGA SPRINGS – A well-known, family-owned business that originated in Corinth has made its way to Saratoga Springs and offers a solution for those looking to recycle and redeem their beverage containers.
MT Returnables, located at the corner of Union and Adelphi Streets right behind Mavis Tires, collects and refunds all New York State five-cent returnable containers from dozens of distributors. Owner, Bob Ball, runs the business with two of his three daughters -- Jade and Chelsea, and says after 10 years, it was time to expand the business and open a second location.
“People want to get rid of their stuff and it’s so much easier than going to a machine,” said Ball. “We have no machines. We do it all by hand and we don’t have any limit. We take every brand so people only have to go to one spot...that’s the beauty of it.”
Convenience is the key word behind the business. Whether you have bottles from Price Chopper and Stewart’s, for example, MT Returnables can accept and reimburse you for both. As long as the New York State bottle containers are “MT” a.k.a. empty -- you’re good to go.
“I had a customer come in today and she had 770 containers and I took care of them in about five to ten minutes and she was out of here,” said Ball. “And she told me had she been at a machine, she would’ve been there for hours -- which she would have been.”
In the winter months, Ball says the Corinth location sees anywhere between 30 to 70 customers daily; and he’s hoping to grow a great customer base in Saratoga as well.
“We’re hoping business will pick up in the summer with SPAC and the racecourse and casino,” said Ball. “In Corinth, we do have a lot of customers from the Greenfield area, so now that we’re in Saratoga, it’ll split up.”
Another service MT Returnables offers is the opportunity for clubs and organizations to host bottle and can drives as a fundraiser. The Balls have designed a system to help charities, schools, youth groups, churches, or scouts to raise money; they provide groups with the tools to host a successful drive if the groups provide the venue and volunteers.
For those looking to drop off beverage containers at MT Returnables, make sure cans, plastic bottles without caps, and glass are separate from one another prior to your arrival. Also, all glass needs to be in its original box -- it is not accepted in bags. Crushed cans or bottles are not accepted.
MT Returnables is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, visit MTReturnables.com
