Beverage Containers

Where can I recycle my CRV beverage containers?   

Find a Beverage Container Recycling Center near you through CalRecycle's Bottles and Cans website and get money back for your bottles! Just enter your area code for your nearest recycling center.

Thanks to the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, Californians recycled over 17 billion beverage containers in 2009, saving natural resources, conserving energy and extending the life of our landfills. According to CalRecycle, that's the equivalent of 7.7 million barrels of oil or 700,000 metric tons of carbon. That's over 17.3 billion containers that otherwise could have been dumped in a landfill or littered in our communities and waterways.

How the Program Works

Beverage distributors pay into a fund based on every container sold in California. When returned to a certified recycling center, consumers receive a cash refund. The refund rate is five cents for containers 24 ounces or less, and 10 cents for containers over 24 ounces. 

Which containers are included in the program (for examples, click here)

  • carbonated mineral, water and soft drinks.

  • non-carbonated soft drinks

  • wine coolers and distilled spirits

  • beer and malt beverages

  • non-carbonated water

  • sport drinks

  • coffee and tea drinks

  • vegetable juice in containers 16 ounces or less

  • carbonated and non-carbonated fruit drinks that contain any percentage of fruit juice

  • 100 percent fruit juices that are packaged in containers less than 46 ounces.

Excluded: Milk, medical food, infant formula, wine, 100% fruit juice in containers 46 ounces or more, vegetable juice above 16 oz.

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