|
How California's Recycling Program Works
The goal of the Act is to achieve an 80 percent recycling rate for all aluminum, glass, plastic, and bimetal beverage containers sold in California, thereby reducing the beverage container component of litter in the State. Beverage containers covered by the Act include those filled with carbonated mineral and soda water and other similar carbonated soft drinks, noncarbonated soft drinks, wine coolers and distilled spirit coolers, beer and malt beverages, as well as noncarbonated water including noncarbonated mineral water, sport drinks, coffee and tea drinks, vegetable juice in beverage containers 16oz. or less, carbonated and noncarbonated fruit drinks that contain any percentage of fruit juice and 100% fruit juices that are packaged in containers less than 46 oz. in volume. The program does not cover any beverage container product type that is not specifically included by the Act.
The California recycling program is funded through redemption payments made to the Department by beverage distributors on each beverage container sold in the State. Redemption payment revenues are deposited in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund (Fund). Payments are made out of the Fund to consumers in the form of California Refund Value (CRV) when they return empty beverage containers to certified recycling centers. Effective January 1, 2007, CRV paid to consumers when they recycle containers at recycling centers will increase to 5¢ for each beverage container less than 24 ounces and 10¢ for each container 24 ounces or greater. Redemption payments paid by distributors increased to 5¢ and 10¢ effective July 1, 2007. The following table shows the redemption payment and CRV rates per container effective July 1, 2007:
Redemption payments made for unredeemed containers are not needed to pay CRV and are therefore available for other recycling-related activities. These activities include handling fee payments to convenience zone recyclers, payments to local curbside programs, payments to cities and counties, and recycling grants to the local conservation corps and to entities statewide. Unclaimed CRV funds are also used to support the administration of the recycling program.
The files below are in PDF format.
|