In thirsty Vermont, plenty of plastic beer and cider four-pack carriers wind up discarded as waste. That prompted Barnard resident Ben Kogan to start a plan to recover them for reuse.
Kogan, who runs an environmental company called Reusable Solutions, decided to collect the carriers before they reach the waste stream so that breweries can use them again. Since launching in 2021, Kogan has signed up 10 locations in Vermont and two in New Hampshire as collection points for the plastic pieces. He picks them up, sanitizes them and sells them back to beverage companies at a reduced price.
Kogan estimates he collects as many as 4,000 carriers each month and has turned the arduous sorting process into a fun game to play with his young son.
Black Flannel Brewing in Essex is one of the locations that accepts the carriers for reuse. Since it opened in 2020, the brewery has sorted, sanitized and reused them in-house — saving approximately $3,500 over the years, according to Dan Sartwell, the brewery’s director of beverage operations. “It’s a big part of our entire ethos, the sustainability aspect,” Sartwell said.
Kogan coordinates with Black Flannel to distribute extras to other breweries. Any that are unused go to Northwest Solid Waste Management District in the town of Georgia, which sells them to a buyer who melts them down and reuses the material.
Kogan, a musician, lives a busy life with his two bands, his family and the company. It’s not the most lucrative endeavor, but Kogan is proud to make a difference.
“It’s a tangible way to make the world a better place,” Kogan said.
Corrections, November 3, 2025: A previous version of this story misidentified the coop in the photo. It also incorrectly identified Kogan’s company as a nonprofit.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Cash and Carriers”
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4 2025.
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