The California Refund Value (CRV) is a tax added to bottles and cans by the legislature. The tax is intended to be a deposit, refunded by recycling glass and aluminum at recycling centers. CRV is intended to increase participation in recycling.
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The Department of Conservation (a branch of the EPA that is in charge of the CRV program) defines CRV as "the amount paid by consumers at the checkout stand and paid back to consumers when they recycle eligible aluminum, plastic, glass and bi-metal beverage containers at one of California's more than 2,100 certified recycling centers." It's not exactly a tax.
Prior to 2004
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2.5 cents
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4 cents
From 2004 to 2006
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4 cents for containers 24 oz. and less.
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8 cents for containers over 24 oz.
On January 1, 2007 it became:
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5 cents for containers 24 oz. and less.
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10 cents for containers over 24 oz.
Note: CRV is established by law and is subject to change with new legislation.
From January to July 2007, The Department of Conservation offered a special recycling incentive—you payed only 4 or 8 cents per CRV container at the store, but you got back 5 or 10 cents! After July, you pay the full 5 and 10 cents per container at the store.
When bringing 50 or fewer containers to a recycling center, the customer is eligible to be paid the refund by container count. Over 50 containers, the recycling center may buy material by the pound. The legislature sets a minimum price at which recycling centers buy by the pound and is approximated to give the consumer their full refund back. Note, however, that recycling centers often pay more than the minimum price.
TOMRA Pacific Inc (aka rePLANET) and Davis Waste Removal are the only places in Davis where you can get money back for your recyclables.
—FYI: It is a violation of City Municipal Code Chapter 32.01.030 Prohibited acts to remove recyclables from recycling carts and recycling bins unless you are Davis Waste Removal. There is also a whole other section, 32.02.0, in Chapter 32 with 7 (codes? subsections?) covering redemption value.
For a list of beverage containers that have a CRV value, downloadable recycling posters, free recycling kits for businesses, and really cool recycling facts, check out http://www.bottlesandcans.com.
