Many large-scale recycling facilities across the country have been impacted by global factors tied to contamination issues and exportation of recyclable products overseas (mostly plastic and paper). At the same time, market values for recyclable commodities have plunged, contributing to the closure of many California beverage container recycling centers. The largest beverage container recycling in California, a company called RePlanet, closed all 281 of its locations in August 2019, leaving fewer redemption centers for Orange County residents. To learn more about these closures, please visit CalRecycle’s website here.
The good news is, there are still more than 1,200 certified recycling centers statewide (65 in Orange County alone), and in areas where there are no recycling centers, obligated beverage retailers may redeem your empty California Refund Value beverage containers in-store. Additionally, you can still recycle your beverage containers by putting them in your curbside bins or dwelling complex carts to ensure these products stay out of the landfills and preserve the environment.
Other helpful resources include:
• OCRecycleGuide.com -- an A to Z list of recycling centers throughout Orange County, CA.
• Earth911.com -- a searchable list of recycling centers as well as other environmentally friendly tips
• Your local city recycling coordinator – check to see if your city is offering any type of mobile redemption or other program
• Your city waste hauler – check to see if they are aware of available redemption programs or offer pick up/drop off services
The Beverage Container Recycling Program is a state program run by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Since the law’s passage in 1986, Californians have recycled more than 400 billion bottles and cans. The state’s beverage container recycling rate increased from 52 percent in 1988 to its current rate of 76 percent. Californians recycled 18.5 billion of the 24 billion CRV beverage containers they purchased in 2018. The state is on track to match that recycling volume in 2019.
In 2019, Governor Newson signed an urgent measure (AB54) to provide access to more recycling options due to these large-scale closures statewide. This allows cities, non-profits and businesses to apply for pilot program grants to increase recycling for redemption in local communities. More recently, CalRecycle approved two new pilot projects as it explores new models to boost consumer access to cash redemption of bottles and cans and to provide some much-needed resources for areas hardest hit by recent closures. For more information or to contact CalRecycle, visit here.
