Community rallies behind Fredericton man robbed of his recyclables

Some people are outraged after recyclables — intended for a local man who makes a living from recycling bottles —were stolen from a Fredericton shed.

Fred Nowlan has been biking around the city collecting bottles for around 20 years, ever since a stroke left him partially paralyzed. 

He's become well known in the community and now has clients who set aside bottles for him on both sides of the St. John River each week. 

Dana Clowater, manager of Exit Realty Advantage in Fredericton, said his office and volunteers from the community came together about five years ago to build Nowlan a shed where people could drop off bottles for him.

"It grew from there and now regulars drop bottles off there everyday," said Clowater.   

Dubbed the Bottle Palace, Nowlan said he stops by the shed two or three times a week to collect the bottles, and there are always about $50 to $150-worth there. 

"That makes my life easier," said Nowlan, "It's very important to me." 

Clowater said Nowlan came to him a couple of weeks ago with suspicions bottles had been stolen out of the shed. 

Clowater got the Fredericton Police Force involved and installed several security cameras at the Bottle Palace. 

He said the video showed bottles were stolen on several different occasions along with one of the security cameras.

"Now that I've seen it once or twice, it's probably happened more than we know about," Clowater said. 

Once word got out about the thefts, he said reaction from the community has been "dismay, outrage and disappointment of people taking from someone who really needs it." 

Clowater said he set up a donation bottle for Nowlan at the Exit office so they could help keep Nowlan afloat without the bottle collection.  And in one week about $300 was collected.