Can-Do Couple Collects Returnables for a Romantic Cause

Their June wedding

By Ross Boissoneau | Feb. 6, 2021

“Weddings are expensive,” said Heather Schlegel. She should know; she’s getting married in June. Even in these days of COVID-influenced decisions to pare down the proceedings, it can still be a chunk of cash. 

So when Heather and her fiancé, Joe Osborne, decided to get married, they looked for ways to lessen their financial outlay. She got her creative juices going and is making her own centerpieces and bouquets. She bought her wedding dress from a resale shop before it closed due to the pandemic. Schlegel bought the bridesmaids' dresses on Amazon, and victory: “And they can wear them again!” 

But still, the couple needed more funds. While at work at Oleson’s Market, Schlegel had an epiphany: “I threw out the idea of us collecting cans, because I work in retail and, at the time, [the store's machines that accept returnables] were closed [due to COVID],” Schlegel said. 

She knew people would have bundles of bottles just sitting around, without any way to dispose of them. Would they consider just giving them away to rather than deal with the hassle of accumulating piles? And would they continue to donate after the return machines had been open for a while? It turned out the answer to both questions was yes. “We didn’t think it would’ve been such a good response from people. But it was,” she said.

Many who were tired of returnables piling up were happy to have someone else take care of them. “There’s been a few people that we’ve had to make multiple trips to grab cans,” Schlegel said. “Over the course of six months, we’ve collected $650 in cans.”

That was before last weekend, when she and Joe collected 30 bags — tall kitchen bags mind you — full of returnables. So the funds continue to grow. “We’re very grateful and appreciative,” said Osborne.

The two first met when Schlegel’s best friend introduced them in October 2018. “I texted him first, and we went from there,” she said. The pair started dating two days later, and within six months, they were engaged. “We knew six months in that we wanted to get married.”

Collecting bottles and cans to fund their nuptials went almost immediately from an outside-the-box idea to a fruitful path forward. “There was no hesitation at the beginning; it was actually a joke between us,” Schlegel said. 

“I didn’t think it was nuts,” said Osborne. “We’ve got kids, so it helps out.” They rely on the income from their jobs for their regular household expenses, while the 10 cents per returnable — all 6,500-plus — is all set aside for their wedding.

While some of her kids help out, it’s often just the two of them. “The kids helped for the first few months, and then I appointed Joe to continue,” Schlegel said with a laugh. “He'll just be glad when we don’t have to collect anymore.”

While Osborne said it’s easier and more enjoyable for the two to collect and turn them in together, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Take those 30 bags: Schlegel ended up turning them in by herself while Osborne was at work. “It took her an hour and a half,” he said.

Rather than relying strictly on word of mouth, the two have turned to the internet to get the word out. Schlegel posts on two Facebook pages — Overheard in Traverse City and Overheard in Kingsley — and uses the Nextdoor neighborhood app. They now have a group of regulars who save their cans to donate.

So do her co-workers at Oleson’s get on her for filling up their machines? No, because most of the time the couple doesn't return them there. “We usually head to Meijer to return the cans. It’s faster because they accept both cans and plastic in one machine,” said Schlegel. 

Osborne added that since grocery stores' return machines have reopened few months, the number of bottles and cans the couple collects has diminished somewhat, so they've simply extended their radius. Schlegel said they’ve made some trips as far away as Benzie County, but at this time of year, the bulk of their trips are nearby. “It’s mellowed out. We’re staying more local in the winter. In spring we can go out further,” he said.

They haven’t yet decided how much longer they’ll collect the returnables. Schlegel said they'll probably go at least through May; after that, it's time to focus on their June wedding. If they do collect longer, though, that’s fine with Osborne.

“I’ll go with Heather if she wants to do it up to the day before,” he said with a laugh. 

Osborne said he sees the process as a way to help out people who don’t want to deal with the hassle of returning the empties, and he repeated how grateful he is. “A lot of people are afraid to go out. Rather than put them in recycling, they give them to us. I’m all down for taking them. It’s going for a good cause,” he said.

Have cans to contribute? Email Schlegel at baby_chic344@yahoo.com to set up a pick-up.