Sen. Blakespear Introduces Legislation to Boost Bottle Recycling
SB 955 will increase recycling collection points and allow 100% of bottles to be recycled
SACRAMENTO – Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas, has introduced legislation to boost bottle recycling by ensuring communities have the capacity to take back and recycle 100 percent of the bottles sold by stores in their area.
SB 955 would update California’s beverage recycling program and requirements of stores to participate to eliminate areas known as recycling “dead zones” where consumers have few or no options for returning cans and bottles and collecting the California Redemption Value (CRV) for them. The legislation will create more locations for recyclable beverage containers.
“California has one of the strongest beverage recycling programs in the nation, but it needs to be strengthened to help us meet our recycling goals,” Sen. Blakespear said. “SB 955 updates grocery store definitions to capture all stores that should be participating in the program, and it mandates there should be enough recycling options in every community to fully accommodate the bottles and cans being sold there.”
Legislation passed in 2021 (SB 1013 by Sen. Atkins) modernized the state’s beverage container recycling program by establishing new dealer cooperative arrangements for stores to handle recycling and setting convenience collection zones. The legislation also added wine, distilled spirits, tea, coffee and 100 percent fruit juice containers into the CRV system.
SB 955 builds on this legislation by clarifying all the stores that are required to participate – an outdated definition left out Trader Joe’s, Grocery Outlet and other major stores – and that collection facilities within collection zones must have the capacity to collect all the bottles and cans sold within that zone.
Dealer cooperatives have increasingly turned to using reverse vending machines, which accept empty CRV-eligible beverage containers, verify them by material and barcode and automatically refund the consumer’s deposit while storing the containers for later collection and recycling.
Under current law, a single reverse vending machine can meet the requirement for “serving” a convenience zone, but a single machine is often insufficient. A vending machine’s capacity is limited, and once full, they can’t be used by consumers.
The bill is co-sponsored by the Circular CRV Association (C-CRV) and the California Grocers Association (CGA).
“Circular CRV Association extends its deep appreciation to Senator Blakespear for championing legislation that modernizes and further strengthens California’s beverage container recycling system,” said Brian Phillips, CEO of the Circular CRV Association. “This important bill eliminates reliance on a single reverse vending machine to provide consumer convenience and access to redemption and modernizes the definition of ‘supermarket’ to include a broader range of high-volume beverage retailers.”
“These changes,” Phillips added, “will enable Dealer Cooperatives like C-CRV to create more equitable convenience zones and deploy innovative, consumer-focused redemption solutions across the state. Senator Blakespear’s commitment to improving public access to beverage container recycling not only supports California’s climate and waste reduction goals – but also empowers a new statewide cooperative model designed to ensure all communities can conveniently redeem their CRV containers.”
“We appreciate the leadership by Senator Blakespear to address issues standing in the way of California achieving its recycling goals,” said Ron Fong, CEO of the California Grocers Association (CGA). “CGA sees the successful implementation of the Dealer Cooperative laws in California as a priority because it will ultimately result in greater opportunities for Californians to redeem bottle and cans, while also reducing the burden grocers now face with in store redemption. SB 955 is a win-win for the consumer and California’s grocers.”
The Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, Sen. Blakespear has worked hard to reduce waste, increase recycling, promote sustainable living and better protect the environment since being elected to the Senate in 2022.
Sen. Blakespear’s SB 1053, which helps reduce California’s immense stream of plastic pollution by prohibiting plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts, took effect on Jan. 1. In addition, she has fought for strong regulations to implement SB 54, landmark legislation passed in 2022 that requires at least 65 percent of single-use packaging to be recycled and
100 percent of packaging sold in California to be recyclable or compostable by 2032.
Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.