Recycling makes a huge difference in the amount of waste sitting in landfills, as well as the world we leave behind for future generations. While many areas of the country encourage their residents to recycle, California takes it a step further and actually pays them to do so. This is known as the California redemption value (CRV).

In this article, we’ll dig deeper into where to recycle CRV bottles, what kind of CA cash refund to expect and more. All of the information you need is right here!

Table of Contents

  • What Is CRV Recycling and What Does It Mean on Recyclable Bottles?
  • How to Recycle Bottles and Other Beverage Containers
  • Where to Recycle CRV Bottles

 

What Is CRV Recycling and What Does It Mean on Recyclable Bottles?

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery administers the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. Beverage containers covered under the act are subject to CRV. This is 5 cents for containers less than 24 ounces, and 10 cents for containers 24 ounces or larger. 

This effort has been a huge success! Thanks to the CA cash refund incentive, more than 300 billion aluminum, glass, and plastic beverage containers have been recycled since the program began in 1987. Yes, billions upon billions of containers have been recycled rather than thrown away to sit and rot. That’s really impressive!

The California Refund Value (CRV) is the amount paid to consumers when they recycle beverage containers at certified recycling centers. When you see the CRV symbol it means that the item you are holding is able to be recycled for money within the state of California. The symbol is important, because not all containers meet the criteria. For instance, milk, wine and distilled spirits can not be recycled for money.

How to Recycle Bottles and Other Beverage Containers

how, to, recycle, bottles

Residents of California bought more than 23 billion carbonated and noncarbonated CRV-eligible drinks in aluminum, glass, plastic, and bi-metal containers in 2015. More than 18.6 billion of those containers were recycled, far more than half. This saved natural resources, conserved energy, and extended the life of our landfills. All in all, CRV also helps to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gasses.

The CRV is the amount paid by consumers at the checkout stand and paid back to consumers when they recycle it. The only question that remains is how to get the money you earn with all of your recyclables. You will only receive CRV refunds when you redeem the containers at a recycling center. 

This means finding a recycling center is your goal here. If you’re concerned about the concept of doing so, we have really good news for you!

Where to Recycle CRV Bottles

recycle crv bottles

Most recycling centers force you to come to them, but not us. We call ourselves Recycle From Home, because that is precisely what you can do! When you’re wondering how and where to recycle CRV beverage bottles, you may not have expected to learn that doing so from your own house was an option, but it is.

Our drivers pick up your recyclables, process them at our facility and your redemption is calculated and sent to you electronically or as a mailed check. If that sounds easy, it is!