CRV RECYCLABLES - BOTTLES, CANS, & OTHER CONTAINERS
Consumers pay California Redemption Value (CRV) when they purchase beverages from a retailer, and receive CRV refunds when they redeem the containers at a recycling center. Most beverage packaged in aluminum, glass, plastic and bi-metal containers are eligible for CRV. As of January 1, 2024, bag-in-box, multi-layer pouches, paperback cartons, and plastic pouches for wine and distilled spirits only have been added to the CRV program. CRV is 5 cents for each beverage container less than 24 ounces, 10 cents for each container 24 ounces or greater, and 25 cents for boxes, bladders, or pouches containing wine, distilled spirits, wine coolers, or distilled spirt coolers.
ELIGIBLE CRV ITEMS
- Beer and Malt Beverages
- Wine Coolers & Distilled Spirits
- Carbonated Water, Fruit Drinks, or Soft Drinks
- Noncarbonated Water, Fruit Drinks, or Sport Drinks
- Coffee and Tea Beverages
- All Fruit and Vegetable Juices
2024 NEWLY ELIGIBLE BEVERAGES
- Wine bottles, pouches, and cartons (Bag-in-Box must be intact as single unit and include the bladder, spout, and cardboard in order to be eligible for CRV.
- Liquor (in glass bottle or can)
- Fruit juice bottles over 46oz
- Vegetable juice bottles over 16 oz.
NON-ELIGIBLE
CONTAINERS
- Milk
- Medical Food
- Infant Formula
- Food & Non-Beverage Containers
- Juice Boxes
- Juice Pouches
- Juice Cartons
NOTICE TO CRV CUSTOMERS
Refund is not paid for packaging, contamination such as dirt or moisture, nor beverage containers not properly labeled with the “California Redemption Value”, “CA Redemption Value”, “California Cash Refund”, or “CA CRV” message.
Capital City Recycling will discount the refund value, and may discount scrap value for loads of containers which include non-redemption material.
You have the right to:
- Accept a discounted refund and/or scrap price.
- Separate refund from non-refund material.
- Take material back.
CALRECYCLE RULES & REGULATIONS
Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act: PRC Section 14504
OUT-OF-STATE LICENSE PLATES
- If your vehicle has an out-of-state license plate, the maximum that you can be paid for your eligible CRV load is capped at $50.00.
- If your load is > $50.00, we are only allowed to pay scrap value for the entire load. We cannot split the load into a CRV and non-CRV payment.
DAILY ALLOWABLE LIMIT & SPLIT LOADS
- Daily load limits of empty CRV beverage containers are 100 pounds each for aluminum and plastic, and 1,000 pounds for glass.
- If you bring in more weight than the allowed limits for any individual item, we are required to reject the entire load. We cannot purchase split or partial loads.
IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENT
- You are required to print or sign your name on the CRV receipt for our records.
- Pictures of you are not required for CRV-only transactions.
- If your transaction includes any non-ferrous materials, we are required to take your picture for our records.
WET ITEMS & SHRINKAGE
- If your items are wet or we see liquids in your cans and bottles, we may apply a “shrinkage” amount to your load.
- The shrinkage amount will reduce the total weight that you are paid for to offset the extra weight from your liquids.
ITEM COUNT LIMITATIONS
- Customers who deliver empty CRV beverage containers to recycling centers may request to be paid by count for up to 50 containers of each material type: 50 glass, 50 aluminum, 50 plastic.
- CRV for containers < 24 oz are $0.05 and > 24 oz are $0.10 per container.
- CRV containers for Bag-in-Box, multi-layer pouches, paperback cartons, and plastic pouches are $0.25 per container.
CRV VS. NON-CRV ITEMS
CA law requires us to pay CRV refunds for loads that contain ONLY eligible CRV beverage containers. Non-CRV materials must be removed from the load, or we may reject the load or pay only the scrap value for the material.
NON-CRV ITEMS
We only pay CRV reimbursements for CRV products. The following products are not eligible for CRV reimbursement:
- Any product in a beverage container that is not Aluminum, glass or plastic.
- Milk jugs
- Medical Food
- Infant Formula
- Food and Non-Beverage containers.
- Juice boxes, cartons, or pouches
INELIGIBLE CRV MATERIALS
The following CRV items are INELIGIBLE for reimbursement:
- If any items have been previously baled or densified, we cannot accept these items.
- Broken Glass cannot be accepted for CRV reimbursement due to the inability to determine the eligibility of the item.
CRV CONTAINER LABELING REQUIREMENTS
CRV Eligible beverage containers MUST have one of the following messages:
- California Redemption Value
- CA Redemption Value
- California Cash Refund
- CA Cash Refund
- CA CRV