The California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery (CalRecycle) announced a $330 million proposal using unredeemed container deposits to increase mobile recycling and reduce vending machine programs across the state.
Californians could receive an extra $100 million in bonus recycling credits and direct $155 million to expand mobile recycling and reverse vending machine locations for consumers to cash in their bottles and cans, according to CalRecycle.
The proposal will put foward $100 million to add about 2,000 reverse vending machines through grants to high schools, colleges, and retailers that are obligated to redeem containers in-store.
“This surplus belongs to California consumers and we want to get that money back in their pockets through bonus recycling credits and more convenient redemption options,” CalRecycle Director Rachel Machi Wagoner said.“These targeted investments would create more chances to recycle in areas without recycling centers and offer double California Redemption Value (CRV) refunds to get surplus deposits back to Californians.”
The multi-million-dollar proposal would be funded by the unredeemed container deposits that grew during the pandemic. Between July 2020 and June 2021, Californians recycled 18.5 billion bottles and cans, a roughly 800 million container increase from the previous fiscal year.
Calrycycle said it would reach unserved areas provide more ways to redeem and offer bonus recycling credits for Californians to cash in their unredeemed bottles and cans with the funding.
“Californians want to recycle and they’re doing their part with the return of 18.5 billion bottles and cans last (fiscal) year. That’s a nearly 70 percent recycling rate,” Director Rachel Machi Wagoner said. “We can get closer to 100 percent recycling by giving Californians more redemption options and new opportunities to succeed.”
The proposal would put forward $55 million to boost returns in rural and underserved communities with state-funded mobile recycling programs. Another $25 million would go toward infrastructure and technology to support redemptions and administration costs.
According to CalRecycle, the proposal would fulfill its legal obligations under AB 793 by putting $50 million to maximize the quality of recycled beverage containers to help more get recycled into new beverage containers.
