Beverage Distributors & Manufacturers

How California’s Recycling Program Works

The goal of the Beverage Container Recycling Program is to achieve an 80% recycling rate for all aluminum, glass, plastic, and bimetal beverage containers sold in California, reducing the number of beverage containers littering the state. Beverage containers covered in this program include those filled with carbonated mineral and soda water and other similar carbonated soft drinks, noncarbonated soft drinks, wine coolers, distilled spirit coolers, beer and malt beverages, as well as noncarbonated water including noncarbonated mineral water, sports 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 percent fruit juices that are packaged in containers less than 46 oz. in volume. Beginning January 1, 2024, wine and distilled spirits, including those packaged in a box, bladder or pouch, or similar container, will be covered.

The California recycling 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.

For beverage containers made of aluminum, glass, plastic or bi-metal the redemption payment made by beverage distributors is 5¢ for each container less than 24 ounces and 10¢ for each container 24 ounces or greater. Effective January 1, 2024, a beverage container that is a box, bladder, or pouch, or similar container, containing wine or distilled spirits, regardless of size, will have a redemption payment of 25¢ per container.

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.