A nonprofit advocating
for marginalized people

and the environment

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8K

Working Shifts Per Year

$2M

Raised Annually To Support
Local Workers

600

Regular Customers Supported

60K

Containers Collected and
Recycled Daily

Our Mission

United We Can is a Vancouver based non-profit organization that creates economic opportunities through environmental initiatives for people living in the Downtown Eastside. It was created by locals for locals who rely on recycling refundable beverage containers as their source of income.

The recycling depot was the first major undertaking and is the largest social enterprise project hosted by United We Can. It opened in 1995 and continues to thrive today. The depot provides recyclers with a safe working environment while ensuring that all customers receive the full deposit on all refundable beverage containers.

Centerplate is delighted to partner with such a great venture as United We Can! We began our relationship in 2011 and quickly decided to donate ALL of our drink containers – which acts as the perfect barometer for economic impact of conventions in the city. This is a “good news story” that we continually share with our employees and with our clients from around the world. We challenge other large facilities to do the same!

Andrew Pollard, Regional Vice President – Centerplate, Vancouver Convention Centre

Recycling Centre

Daily processing of 60,000+ beverage containers year-round supports a population of 600 to 700 recycling collectors in Vancouver’s inner-city community.

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Commercial Collection

We offer easy, cost-effective collection services to local businesses. Our services are tailored to your business needs, we collect on a pre-confirmed schedule or on-call basis.

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Lane Cleaning

The lane cleaning program works in partnership with the City of Vancouver, various Business Improvement Associations and movie production companies to provide street and laneway micro-cleaning.

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80K

Syringes Picked Up Per Year

380

Bags of Garbage
Cleared Weekly

70

Vancouver City Blocks Cleared

60

People Trained
& Employed

How Can Your Business Support?

Donating recyclable beverage containers to United We Can helps to alleviate poverty.

United We Can has paved the path out of poverty for 25 years by creating jobs for those who may have difficulty finding and retaining employment. Our depot and staff offer employment, income earning opportunities and for those that seek it a purpose to be a part of a local sustainability solution.

OUR EXISTING CLIENTS

Latest News

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Volunteers Needed

June 16th, 2020|0 Comments

Volunteer – Coffee Host We have remained open during the

Latest News

Check our blog

Volunteers Needed

June 16th, 2020|0 Comments

Volunteer – Coffee Host We have remained open during the