California cities to pay residents for bottle, can pickups and drop-offs

The city of Irvine, California, and a coalition of six cities in Sonoma County will take on local redemption challenges by launching state-approved pilot projects designed to make it easier for consumers to cash in their empty bottles and cans.

Irvine’s newly approved program allows for scheduled pickup and mail-in or online redemption. The Sonoma County program establishes 10 new bag-drop locations in suburban and rural parts of the county where consumers can leave tagged bags of material for electronic payment.

“California cities and counties know best how to overcome local obstacles to convenient CRV (California redemption value) redemption to meet the needs of their communities,” CalRecycle Acting Director Ken DaRosa says. “Successful pilot projects could serve as new models for more convenient bottle and can redemption statewide.”

Irvine’s pickup program was designed to help overcome local code restrictions that limit new take-back sites in the city. Customers can place empty containers into a marked bag, schedule a residential pickup (by phone or online) and receive payment via mailed check, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle Pay, debit or charitable donation after the material is processed.

Sonoma County’s CRV bag-drop program was designed by a coalition of six cities to increase the number of consumer redemption sites in the county from four to 14. New bag-drop locations are located in the suburban cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma, California, and in the more-rural communities of Sonoma, Sebastopol, Healdsburg and Cloverdale.

The Beverage Container Recycling Pilot Program, created by Senate Bill 458, authorizes CalRecycle to approve up to five pilot projects proposed by local jurisdictions to explore innovative, new models for CRV redemption in underserved areas. Assembly Bill 54 made changes to the pilot program to allow for greater flexibility and to provide up to $5 million in pilot project grant funding for approved projects.

In addition to these two new projects, CalRecycle previously approved the following three projects:

• San Mateo County – three additional fixed CRV take-back locations with limited operating hours within San Mateo County, including one in a more rural area;
• San Francisco – consumers can bag and tag CRV material and drop them off at collection bins throughout the city, with electronic payment issued after materials are processed; and
• Culver City – a mobile redemption center currently operational in Culver City alternates between two locations six days a week.