To boost recycling, California will fund 250 new types of recycling sites for beverage containers

Responding to a shortage of places to recycle cans and bottles, state officials announced that residents in 30 counties, including Los Angeles County, are getting modernized recycling centers or completely new ways to turn their beverage containers into cash.

“Innovative ways to recycle will help more Californians cash in their beverage containers and provide recycled materials for in-state remanufacturers,” CalRecycle Director Zoe Heller said in a news release . “These new sites will make redemption as simple as feeding containers into a machine or dropping off a bag of empty containers.”

CalRecycle awarded nearly $70 million in grants for 37 projects involving new recycling methods, such as reverse vending machines, mobile recycling centers and bag-drop sites. Reverse vending machines pay customers for beverage containers placed in the machine, according to CalRecycle , while mobile recycling centers redeem empty beverage containers at more than one location.

The grant money will open more than 250 new recycling sites, the agency said. Los Angeles County can expect mobile recycling, bag drop and reverse vending machines.

Over the last decade the state lost half of its bottle recycling centers, leaving people fewer opportunities to get their CRV charges back. As a result, the state's beverage container fund increased from about $219 million in 2014 to $819 million in 2023, KPBS reported .

Under the grant program, supermarket chains Save Mart and Smart and Final will get more than $2 million each for reverse vending machines in 19 counties.

Newly modernized recycling sites will come to Butte, Imperial, Lassen, Mendocino, Merced and other underserved counties.

California's beverage container recycling program, which is embossed on bottles and cans as "CRV," imposes a refundable charge of 5 to 25 cents per container, depending on the type and size. Someone buying a six pack of canned soda, for example, would pay 30 cents in CRV charges.

The state's beverage container recycling rate goal is 80%, but a recent CalRecycle report states that the rate in 2023 was 70%, with about 19.6 billion bottles and cans were returned to recycling sites.

At the start of the year, the CRV program expanded to boxed or bag-in-box wine and distilled spirits, which carry a 25 cent CRV. Wine, liquor, juices and other beverages packaged in plastic, aluminum or bimetal containers have a 5 cent CRV if under 24 ounces and a 10 cent value if 24 ounces and over.

According to CalRecycle's report, about 85% of CRV collection in 2022 was done at buy-back centers or recycling centers. The rest was accomplished through drop-off programs, community service programs and curbside collection.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .