BREAKING: CALIFORNIA’S BOTTLE BILL TO INCLUDE WINE AND LIQUOR

Governor Newsom signs historic expansion of the Beverage Container Recycling program to wine and distilled spirits!

Sept. 23, 2022 Contact:

Mark Murray, 916-995-8655

SACRAMENTO, CA— California Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Senate Bill 1013 by Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and others, legislation expanding the scope of the State’s Beverage Container Recycling law to include all wine and distilled spirit containers.

Originally adopted in 1987, the California ‘Bottle Bill’ currently covers more than 27 billion containers for beer, soft drink, water and juice beverages. In the last year, CalRecycle reports that 70 percent of covered beverage containers sold were returned for recycling. In contrast less than 30 percent of glass wine and distilled spirit containers are returned for recycling.

CalRecycle reports show that the vast majority of glass and PET plastic beverage containers returned for recycling are used by California manufacturers to makes new containers--closed loop recycling.

Senate Bill 1013 will, effective January 1, 2024, establish a 10 cent Refund Value on most of the estimated 1.2 billion Wine & Distilled Spirit Containers sold in California annually as well as a 25 cent Refund Value for wine sold in difficult to recycle boxes, bladders, pouches and similar plastic containers.

  • Currently less than 30% of wine & distilled containers are recycled, while 70% of the beer, soft drink and water containers covered by existing program are recycled.

  • There are currently approximately 1258 recycling centers and more than 2400 retail stores that redeem empty beverage containers for recycling.

  • Efforts are underway to increase redemption and recycling opportunities in underserved communities.

  • Currently glass bottles made in California are made with 42% recycled glass. The goal is to increase this ‘closed loop recycling’ to 50% or better.

  • One ton of CO2 Emissions are reduced for every 6 tons of recycled glass used to make new containers.

  • SB 1013 is projected to increase the amount of recycled glass used to make new bottles in California by more than 250,000 tons annually, with the potential to reduce GHG emissions by more than 40,000 tons.

Companion funding measures in SB 1013 and the State Budget direct surplus recycling funds to the following:

  • $73 million in grants and loans to start-up new and expanded recycling centers, including reverse vending machines, in underserved communities

  • Provides $50/ton (about 1.2 cents per container) to California glass container manufacturers (there are 4 glass plants in the state), to increase their purchase and use of recycled glass in new California glass containers.

“California’s bottle bill recycling program has needed fixing for 40 years,” Pro Tem Toni Atkins said. “With SB 1013 we are finally able to include wine and distilled spirit bottles in the program—and when you consider that California generates more than one billion wine and liquor bottles every year, that shows what major progress this legislation is and what an impact it will have. I want to commend the wine industry, distilled spirits industry, environmental advocates, and other groups who worked to improve SB 1013, and I thank the large bipartisan majorities in both houses who voted for it.”

“Today we take a big step toward increasing the recycling rates of millions of bottles that would otherwise wind up in our landfills or be illegally discarded,” said Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa. “This new law will greatly benefit California and our recycling system. I commend the governor for signing it and industry groups and environmental advocates who came together on this historic legislation."

“Based on the track record of this program, we know with confidence that this measure will result in more than 250,000 additional tons of glass and plastic being returned for recycling back into new containers,” said Mark Murray, Executive Director of the environmental group Californians Against Waste. “The producer responsibility requirements and incentives in the California Bottle Bill have averaged 75% or better recycling levels for more than two decades. This is the benchmark by which all other recycling policies and voluntary efforts must be measured.”

For more information: SB 1013 (Atkins) Expands Scope of Beverage Container Recycling Incentive Program to include all Wine & Distilled Spirit Containers


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