California refund value?

Question

why do recyle centers in california pay you by weight and not the crv? Can i ask to get the crv and noy weight value?

The crv went up last year from 5 to 10 cents now, i have about 200 plastic bottles at home that would be 20 bucks but only about 3 bucks if they pay me by weght

Answer 1

I don't know the laws in California, but I just feel there needs to be better solution/programs if we expect there to be more active participation in recycling.

I wish all states would just mandate that there be 'refundable' deposits collected on all bottles, and not just stop there, what about inflation?

I remember when I was a kid, I could return a bottle (which was actually cool looking and made of glass) I found for 10 cents, and back then, 10 cents would buy, A) a comic book (now $3), B) 10 pieces of penny candy or 10 cent candy (i.e. Now & Laters, Lemon Heads, etc.) or a phone call (now 50 cents).  So all these things go up, but today, almost 30 years later, bottle returns are either 5 cents or nothing at all.  Which doesn't make any sense to me.

Anyone is willing to pay deposits on bottles so long as it makes it worthwhile to come back and collect the deposits later, and that just doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

Not to mention, so many states that don't have a refund at all.  Or like in New York, deposits on most bottles, but not on water bottles for some reason and people have been fighting it but the bottle lobbyists somehow remain successful in preventing refunds being passed into law.  Not sure how, or why it's such a big deal to them for that matter.

So if we can't have better refunds which make sense given today's higher cost of living, then how about biodegradable bottles (i.e. Primo Water bottles) which aren't even made from oil to begin with, or go back to glass bottles (also no oil)?

Answer 2

The following is from the california bottle and cans website. It should answer your questions. I also provided you the link. Happy recycling.

Q. How come recycling centers pay by weight instead of by container?

A. Consumers have the option of being paid on a per-container basis only if they are redeeming 50 or fewer beverage containers of each material type per visit. Consumers must request being paid by count rather than by weight. If more than 50 beverage containers per material are being redeemed, recycling centers are allowed to pay by weight.

Recycling centers are privately owned businesses and are allowed by law to pay by weight as a matter of business and customer efficiency. The minimum per-pound payments are established by the California Department of Conservation and are designed to reflect the California Refund Value (CRV) for the average number of containers in a pound of aluminum, glass or plastic CRV containers. Recycling centers may pay more than the minimum, so consumers may want to consider all of their nearby redemption locations, which can be found at our Recycling Center Locator Information on containers-per-pound and minimum payment-per-pound can be found at the Department of Conservation Web Site

Recycling centers are required to post the payment-per-pound information on-site. Complaints or concerns about underpayment by weight can be made toll-free at 1-800-RECYCLE. Please provide the name and location of the recycling center in question.