Clynk to double in size

Clynk, a Maine-based bottle redemption and recycling company, has announced that it plans to double in size. In partnership with Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets, the company will expand beyond Maine to open 51 new Clynk drop-off locations across the greater Albany and Schenectady areas of New York.

Clynk has developed a patented bottle return system that eliminates waiting in line and separating containers by material type. Customers simply fill their recyclable Clynk bags with redeemable containers of any material type and then leave their filled bags at a designated drop-off location at participating Hannaford stores. Within two business days, Clynk processes the returned bags, and the deposit refunds are available in the customers’ private Clynk accounts. These funds can then be withdrawn for cash or groceries whenever the customer decides.

Clynk currently operates in 49 Hannaford supermarkets in Maine and has processed more than 600 million containers since inception. In addition, Clynk says it has licensed its patented technology in Oregon and in New Brunswick, California.

“Our goal at Clynk has always been to make recycling easier for everyone,” says founder and CEO Clayton Kyle. “Expanding into New York is a major step toward achieving that goal.”

Clynk says its revenue is generated from the fee bottlers’ pay for the collection process and not from users of the service. After receiving 10 free bags at sign up, the only cost to its customers is the purchase of additional Clynk bags, designed to be inexpensive and recyclable, the company says.

“Since March of this year, we have opened 13 of the 51 Clynk drop locations in the greater Albany area,” Kyle says. “We’re very pleased with the way the market has reacted and hope to make a real difference in the communities where we operate.”