BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bottle and can redemption centers play a unique role in our local economies, communities and environment, but the owners of some of these facilities say the handling fees they earn from distributors is not enough to offset the rising cost of living.

“We see a lot of containers. We see probably a quarter million containers come through each store every week,” said Steve Rohauer, owner of Abbott Bottle Return and R&R Bottle and Can.

He said the rising cost of living and the lack of fee increases from distributors for redemption centers is putting his businesses at stake.

“I invested all my time, effort and money from a buyout that I took from a steel plant into opening these places," he said. "I’m supporting myself and my family off it. Not to mention the impact we’re having on the environment."

He said they haven’t seen a raise in more than 16 years, a decision that can’t be made without the advocacy and support of state legislators to get more from distributors. However, recent standalone bills introduced to the state Legislature never even made it to a vote.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which oversees the Bottle Bill initiative, acknowledged the role these redemption centers play in the community, saying in a statement:

“Local redemption centers are a critical component of the redemption infrastructure and provide a convenient way for consumers to redeem their deposit cans and bottles. DEC is aware of the financial hardship that redemption centers are experiencing due to increased costs of doing business, while the revenues they receive through handling fees paid per beverage container have remained stagnant. If redemption centers close due to financial hardship, consumers will have to shift to other redemption centers that may be further away or travel to local retail stores to redeem their empty beverage containers. It may be a challenge for stores with limited space to keep up with the increased demand.”

Rohauer said his staff are not the only ones relying on the success of his businesses — the community is too.

“We help a lot of people," said Rohauer. "There’s Boy Scout [and] Girl Scout troops that come in here for fundraising. There’s people that depend on their returns to help them get through the end of the week. I really don’t want to see it all just go down the drain. So I'm going to continue to fight and fight.”