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 program is funded through redemption payments made to CalRecycle 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.

CRV paid to consumers, effective January 1, 2007, are as follows:

• • $.05 per container less than 24 ounces (aluminum, glass, plastic #1-7, or bimetal).
  • $.10 per container 24 ounces or larger (aluminum, glass, plastic #1-7, or bimetal).

Redemption payments paid by distributors, effective July 1, 2007, are as follows:

• • $.05 per container less than 24 ounces (aluminum, glass, plastic #1-7, or bimetal).
  • $.10 per container 24 ounces or larger (aluminum, glass, plastic #1-7, or bimetal).