CA Redemption Value (CRV)

PROGRAM UPDATE:
SB 1013 was approved by Governor Newsom on September 27, 2022, effective on January 1, 2023.
This legislative bill:

• Brings wine and distilled spirits into the California Beverage Container Recycling Program (BCRP) starting January 1, 2024.
  • This includes beverage containers that are boxes, bladders or pouches containing wine, distilled spirits, wine coolers, or distilled spirit coolers.
• Expands the convenience zones and significantly modifies the role of dealers in the BCRP.
• Introduces new grant programs to strengthen and support the circular economy of beverage containers in California.
• More information on these changes can be found  here.
• Download poster  here.

If possible, please separate materials (cans, glass, and plastic) before arriving at all CRV redemption locations.

Select carbonated and non-carbonated beverages sold in aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles require a deposit known as the California Redemption Value (CRV). This deposit is redeemable at any certified redemption center. 

In addition to redemption centers, there are many retailers that redeem eligible cans and bottles in-store. Please visit www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/InStoreRedemption to find retailers in your area that have pledged to accept empty beverage containers and provide deposit refunds. Customers may redeem up to 50 aluminum, 50 glass, 50 plastic, and 50 bi-metal California Redemption Value (CRV) containers in a single visit and request to be paid by count.

Please Note: If a store on this list will not take back your empty containers, email CalRecycle at complaints@calrecycle.ca.gov or call 1-800-RECYCLE.

The CRV Beverage Container Recycling Program is managed by CalRecycle, a State of California department while individual recycling centers are operated by independent businesses, nonprofits, or local governments. If you have questions or comments regarding the program or the decline of CRV buy-back locations, you can contact CalRecycle's Beverage Container Recycling Program at:

801 K Street, MS 19-01
Sacramento, CA 95814-3533
Phone: (916) 323-3836
Hotline: 1-800-RECYCLE
Fax: (916) 327-2144 
Online: https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/Contacts
 

CURRENT CRV PROGRAM RATES (DOWNLOAD)

TIPS FOR VISITING REDEMPTION CENTERS:

• State law requires recycling centers to pay California Redemption Value (CRV) refunds for loads that contain ONLY eligible CRV beverage containers.
   
• Non-CRV materials must be removed from the load, or at the discretion of the recycling center, the load may be rejected or receive only scrap value. Please recycle your non-CRV materials at drop-off recycling centers that will accept the material or through curbside recycling
• Redeem up to 50 CRV beverage containers of each material type (50 glass, 50 aluminum, 50 plastic) per day by count. More than 50 CRV beverage containers will be redeemed by weight.

ELIGIBLE FOR CRV

• Beer and malt beverages
• Wine coolers and distilled spirit coolers
• Carbonated fruit drinks, water or soft drinks
• Noncarbonated fruit drinks, water or soft drinks
• Coffee & tea beverages
• 100% fruit juice less than 46 oz.
• Vegetable juice 16 oz. or less
• Sports Drinks
• Wine
• Spirits

Starting January 1, 2024, wine and spirits are eligible for CRV

NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CRV

• Milk
• Medical food
• Infant formula
• 100% fruit juice 46 oz. or more
• 100% vegetable juice more than 16 oz.
• Food and other non-beverage containers 

CRV eligible beverages are packaged in:

• Aluminum
• Glass
• Plastic
• Bi-metal

The CRV refunds are:

• 5 cents for containers less than 24 ounces
• 10 cents for containers 24 ounces or larger

*Effective January 1, 2024, 25 cents for boxes, bladders or pouches containing wine, distilled spirits, wine coolers, or distilled spirit coolers. 

Zero Waste Sonoma recently hosted a webinar on changes to the state bottle bill and an update on the Local CRV Pilot Program. The recording is available here.