Thursday, 19 July 2007 22:54

CRV Charge Increased To Encourage Californians To Recycle

slide41As of July 1st Californians pay more California Refund Value (CRV) on beverage containers at the store.  Assembly Bill (AB) 3056 raised the CRV that consumers pay for aluminum, glass, and plastic beverage containers.  Consumers pay a nickel for containers less than 24 ounces and a dime for containers larger than 24 ounces.  Prior to July 1, 2007 the charge at the store for containers, 24 oz and less and 24 oz and greater, was 4 cents and 8 cents respectively.  However, consumers will continue to receive 5 cents on smaller containers and 10 cents on larger ones at the recycling buy-back centers.

AB 3056 raised the buy-back price on January 1 of this year, to encourage more people to recycle their beverage containers and get a bonus for the first 6 months of 2007. The state’s recycling program has become progressively successful since established in 1986.  Prior to the introduction of the CRV, bottles and cans could only be redeemed for scrap value.  Consumers collected one cent for each beverage container when CRV was implemented in 1987 and recycled an average of 6 billion CRV containers. 

slide43 The redemption value increases since then has resulted in an all-time record of 12.4 billion containers recycled in 2005.  More than 160 billion containers have been recycled in the state over the past two decades. Most aluminum, glass, and plastic packaged beverages such as soft drinks, water, beer, sports drinks, and juices are included in the CRV program.  Curbside programs, certified recycling centers, and drop-off and collection sites offer plenty of convenient options for recycling and redeeming CRV containers.   To find the nearest recycling center in Amador County, visit the county website www.co.amador.ca.us/depts/waste or call the Amador County Waste Management Department, 209-223-6429.