Questions about the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program grant application are accepted no later than August 5, 2025. Similar or related questions may be grouped together or reworded for clarity and responded to as one question.
All questions and answers will be posted during the application period and are subject to updates. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check this website for the latest information regarding this grant cycle.
General | Eligibility | Certification | Eligible Projects | Funding | Application
General
- What does NTP mean in the RIG4 Program?
NTP stands for Notice to Proceed. This terminology is specific to the RIG Program and separate from the certification process/approval from the Division of Recycling. The grant term begins on the date of the NTP email. This email is the formal notification from CalRecycle authorizing the grantee to begin the grant project and incur costs for the RIG project. Expenditures made or costs incurred prior to the NTP date are not eligible for reimbursement. - The grant period is through April 1, 2028. Does this mean that all grant funds need to be used/invoiced by that date?
Yes, all costs must be incurred and equipment delivered prior to April 1, 2028. The Redemption Innovation Grant Program is a reimbursement program. A grantee will only be able to be reimbursed for authorized expenses made during the grant term. Equipment must be purchased and delivered, and installed, if applicable, prior to the grant term end date. - Will there be another funding cycle for the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program next year?
Future cycles for the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program have not yet been determined or outlined. Please sign up for the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program listserv for future updates.
Eligibility
- Do Recycling Centers in no zones qualify for Mobile, Bag Drop, and RVM project scopes under RIG4?
Yes, all projects must be located within an unserved convenience zone or no convenience zone at the time of award, or within the served convenience zone that the applicant’s Recycling Center is currently serving.
Certification
- Do applicants need to be certified and operational before the Grant Agreement is executed?
After an Applicant is awarded a grant, they will receive a Grant Agreement. The Grant Agreement needs to be signed by the Signature Authority and returned to CalRecycle no later than 60 days after receiving your notice of award. Awardees must be certified before receiving the Notice to Proceed (NTP). In addition, grantees must be operational within a designated time period, as stipulated in their Grant Agreement. - Are Community Service Program applicants eligible to conduct the same project types as certified recyclers?
Community Service Programs may operate RVMs, set up drop-off at specific sites, or collect from various locations. However, they cannot pay the California Redemption Value (CRV). - When collection at a mobile site is over for the day, can the material be taken to an off-site facility for sorting before being transferred to the anchor Recycling Center?
No. A mobile unit must deliver all collected empty beverage containers to its anchor Recycling Center at the conclusion of the business day during which the empty beverage containers were received. For additional information, refer to California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 2500.5 Operation Standards for Mobile Units and Anchor Recycling Centers. - Are materials collected from mobile sites required to be kept separate from all other materials at an anchor Recycling Center until they reach the final destination at a certified processor?
No. There are no requirements to keep the materials collected from the mobile site separated from other CRV beverage containers at the anchor Recycling Center location.
Eligible Projects
- Does opening a new recycling center that only does weigh-and-pay suffice as an eligible project type?
New recycling centers will be required to include one or more Innovative Methods of Redemption/Collection (Mobile, Bag Drop, or RVM) to be considered eligible for funding. Please refer to the Eligible Project Types section of the Application Guidelines and Instructions.
- Can an individual application (e.g., for Mobile Units, RVM, etc.) include multiple project sites and types under the same application?
Yes, an individual application may include multiple project sites and multiple eligible project types within the same application. For additional information, refer to the Eligible Projects section of the Application Guidelines and Instructions - Is an eligible project one where the mobile unit and “anchor Recycling Center” are the same? For example, is a mobile van setting up at sites and pop-up events the same as a weigh and pay Recycling Center?
The anchor recycling center must already be an established site serving its convenience zone, and the mobile project operation would be conducted at a different location in the recycling center’s convenience zone or in an unserved convenient zone approved by CalRecycle. Any material redeemed via the mobile unit must be returned to the anchor Recycling Center by the end of the day when it was redeemed. - Would programs be allowed to focus on one CRV material type, or do the programs have to accept all CRV containers? For example, only providing a glass-focused collection for CRV and non-CRV.
Certified Recycling Centers are required to collect all material types. However, Community Service Programs have the flexibility to focus on specific material types. - Are construction costs eligible (i.e., building construction, site preparation/groundwork, engineering, electrical and water infrastructure, paving, etc.)?
Only construction costs related to the installation and retrofitting of equipment are considered eligible under the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program. This could include the site preparation, engineering, electrical/water infrastructure, etc. Building construction would be considered an ineligible cost. Please refer to the Eligible Costs section within the Application Procedures and Requirements - Is training (i.e., forklift operator, Class A driver’s license, etc.) an allowable cost?
Necessary training related to the project operation would be considered an eligible Education and Outreach activity. However, non-infrastructure costs are limited to 20 percent of the total award amount. Combined costs including, but not limited to, permitting, personnel, public education/outreach, and general administrative costs not related to construction or installation, shall not exceed 20 percent of the total amount requested. - Are recycling bins given to community members an eligible cost?
No, recycling bins given out to the community would be considered SWAG (Stuff We All Get). Promotional Items/SWAG not related to the project (e.g., shirts, magnets, cups, gift cards, stickers, tote bags not used as recycling bins, calendars with no educational content, trophies, awards, plaques, rewards) are considered ineligible costs under the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program. However, recycling bins used for the purpose of one of the eligible project types and project operation would still be considered eligible. - Will a bag pickup program qualify as a bag drop-off program?
A Bag Drop project includes a recycling mechanism where consumers can drop off empty beverage containers for redemption in a sealed bag, sealed box, or other sealed receptacle. A mobile project where CRV materials are redeemed or collected via bags, or “bag pickup”, at a site different than the anchor Recycling Center would be considered an eligible mobile unit project type under the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program. - Will the time spent picking up bags in the bag pick-up program count towards the 30-hour requirement for the recycling facility to be open?
The 30-hour requirement is related to the anchor Recycling Center’s operational requirements, and mobile operation cannot be used to satisfy the 30-hour requirement for the anchor Recycling Center. For additional information, refer to California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 2500.5 Operation Standards for Mobile Units and Anchor Recycling Centers. - Can an EV charging station installed on Recycling Center-owned (or leased) land be considered an eligible Infrastructure expense if it is only used to charge grant-funded critical equipment?
No. Only construction costs related to the installation and retrofitting of equipment are considered eligible under the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program.
Funding
No questions at this time.
Application
- Can the entire award amount be used for the same project type (e.g., all RVM)?
Yes, an entire award amount may be utilized for the same project type or multiple different project types. All costs associated with the project must be included in the Budget document that is submitted with the application. - The application requires Access Agreements for each proposed site location at the time of submission. Will CalRecycle provide a standard template or recommended format for these agreements? If not, are there specific terms, clauses, or elements that must be included to satisfy this requirement?
CalRecycle will not provide templates or a recommended format for Access Agreements. The Access Agreement(s) is a contract between the Grantee and the property owner that authorizes the Lead Grantee permission to enter and use the landowner’s property to operate the proposed Redemption Innovation Grant project for the intended duration of the Grant Term.