Inspection and Signage Requirements

Inspection Requirements

When material is received from customers, the recycling center attendant must determine if it is eligible for refund value, and if it is, the attendant must also establish how much of the load qualifies for California Refund Value (CRV).

An empty beverage container is eligible for refund value if all of the following requirements are satisfied:

• • The container is made of aluminum, glass, plastic, or bimetal.
  • The container has been opened.
  • Contamination has been removed (the container cannot contain sand, rocks, cigarettes, etc.).
  • The CRV message is on the beverage container.

Beverages Subject to California Refund Value (CRV)

Signage requirements

There are 4 signs that the law requires every recycling center law to display. If you operate a recycling center, make sure that you have these signs at all times and that they are current (especially the price sign). If not, you may be fined!

1. Certification Sign

This sign is provided to an operational recycling center by CalRecycle, and its purpose is to let consumers know that your location is a State-certified site.

Must be displayed where approaching customers can see it.

2. “Open” Sign

Informs customers that you are open for business. The sign must be a minimum of 2′ X 2′ (or 576 square inches) and the word “Open” must be at least 10 inches tall.

The sign needs to be in a place where customers approaching the recycling center can see it.

3. “Hours of Operation” Sign

This sign lets customers know the hours that your recycling center will be open.

While there are no size requirements, the sign is expected to be in a location that customers can easily see – both when the center is open and when it is closed (you can use two signs if necessary).

4. “Price” Sign

This sign tells customers the amount of money your recycling center pays for each material type.

It is required to be a minimum of 2′ X 2′ (or 576 square inches) and needs to be located where the weighing occurs.

There is additional wording required for this sign, including:

• • Refund is not paid for packaging, contamination such as dirt or moisture, nor beverage containers not properly labeled with the “CA Redemption Value,” “CA Cash Refund,” “CA CRV” message.
  • This recycler will discount the refund value, and may discount scrap value for loads of containers that include nonredemption material.
  • The consumer has the right to:
    a) Accept a discounted refund and/or scrap price.
    b) Separate refund from nonrefund material.
    c) Take the material back.