While almost all stores offer 5 cents in return for empty cans and bottles, Bellgoods Redemption in East Flatbush is giving customers 6 cents.

"Every little bit counts in this economy," says East Flatbush resident Normal Phillips, who is one of the regulars there, while Jerry Cumberbatch, who lives in Canarsie, says the little bit adds up, and "helps you take care of small bills."

Responses like that are exactly what Belgoods' operating partner, Val Leykin, was hoping he would get when he first started putting the 6 cent signs outside the center on Ditmas Avenue.

Now, he tells News 12 that to say "people go out of their way would be an understatement. We have people come from all sides of Brooklyn, all sides of Queens. We had a customer that came down from the Bronx."

The way the system works in New York state is that stores give customers back 5 cents for each can or bottle, then sort and process them for distributors.

Distributors then give the stores 8.5 cents in return for each can or bottle.

Belgoods is hoping that by giving customers a penny of that 3.5-cent profit, they'll attract more people overall.

"The volume is the key here," explains Leykin.

And while they do get a good amount of volume, Leykin says he also has $15,000 a month in rent to pay. With profit margins so small, he is barely getting by.

"Inflation goes up, overhead goes up, everything goes up, your two and a half, three and a half cents remains steady and flat," Leykin says. "Right now, nobody is making money in this industry. I can assure you that."

He says the only hope is if the state approves a proposal that would raise the customer return amount to 10 cents, and the store amount to 15, with that number going up to 16.5 cents in three years, meaning they would make more money for each empty can or bottle.

At the current rate, Leykin says "we maybe got a year or two left that we can maintain this, after that, we have to start either making drastic cuts or shut down."

With online records and bottle labels showing that other states have already made the change, Leykin says he has hope that New York will be next.