Quick facts
History
Text of law
More Info
Contacts
Government
Mark Oldfield
CA Department of Conservation
Public Affairs Office
801 K Street, MS 24-07
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-323-1886
PAO@consrv.ca.gov
Organizations
Mark Murray
Executive Director
Californians Against Waste
921 11th Street, Suite 420
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-443-5422
California
| Name | California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (AB 2020) |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To encourage recycling and reduce litter |
| Enacted | 9/29/1986 |
| Implemented | 9/1/1987 |
| Beverages Covered | beer, malt, wine & distilled spirits coolers, all non-alcoholic beverages, except milk. Excludes vegetable juices over 16oz. |
| Containers Covered | Aluminum. glass, plastic and bi-metal. Exempts refillables |
| Amount of Deposit | (10¢: 24oz. and greater) and (5¢: under 24oz.) |
| Reclamation System | State certified redemption centers, registered curbside operations, dropoffs |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Property of state: used for program administration and grants to non-profits |
| Handling Fee | Handling Fees paid by state to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, and rural region recyclers.(b) |
| Other Fees | Processing Fees are paid by distributors to the Department, and Processing Payments are made to all certified recyclers when the cost of recycling exceeds the value of material.(p) |
| Program success | Recycling rates as of June 2009: Overall 85% aluminum 91% percent, glass 85% #1 PET 78% #2 HDPE 116 percent #3 PVC 0% #4 LDPE 2% #5 PP 1% #6 PS 2% #7 other 13% bimetal 16% See Biannual Report of Beverage Container Sales, Returns, Redemption, and Recycling Rates for more stats. |
Details
How the system works :
- Distributors pay a per container fee (CRV) of 5¢ <24 oz and 10¢ >24 oz into a state fund. (The fee was originally 1¢ for all containers and was amended in 1990 to 2.5¢<24 oz and 5¢>24 oz, and in 2003 to 4¢ and 8¢.)
- Consumers pay a deposit of 5¢ for each container < 24 ounces and 10¢ for each container >24 ounces.
- In turn, they receive a refund of 5¢ for each container of less than 24 ounces redeemed, and 10¢ for each container of 24 ounces or greater redeemed.
Consumers have the right to be paid per container when bringing in 50 (fifty) containers or less in a single load. Some recyclers, at their discretion, may redeem more than 50 containers by count. If the recycler declines to pay by count for >50 containers presented per visit, payment is based on the weight of the materials delivered for redemption.
Footnotes
[b] Requires the Dept to conduct a cost survey during 2007, and every two years thereafter, to determine future handling fee payments. Effective 7/1/08 the Department will determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each beverage container by subtracting the cost per container (for recycling centers that do not receive handling fees) from the costs per container of those that do receive handling fees.
[p] Processing Payment amounts vary by container type and are determined annually, based on based on audited data and scrap market prices. Processing Fee amounts are a specific percentage of the Processing Payment, determined based on the recycling rate of the container type. (California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, Section 14575)
