Beverage containers: recycling.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific penalties for non-compliance, leaving room for interpretation.

Beverage Containers: Recycling Rules

The bill requires beverage manufacturers to report the amount of imported recycled plastic used in their containers and to provide proof that this recycled content has been validated by an independent group.

What This Bill Does

• Requires beverage makers to tell how much recycled plastic from other countries they use for bottles sold in California.
• Needs companies to show proof that the recycled plastic they use has been checked by an independent group.

Who It Names or Affects

• Beverage manufacturers who sell drinks in plastic bottles with recycling value in California.
• The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, which will collect and post this information online.

Terms To Know

Postconsumer recycled plastic

Plastic that has been used by people and then collected to make new products.

California Redemption Value (CRV)

Money given back when you return certain drink containers for recycling.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the penalties for non-compliance or any additional costs for local agencies.
• It is unclear what specific penalties might be added to existing law because of this bill's requirements.

Official Summary Text

SB 633, as amended, Blakespear.
Beverage containers: recycling.
The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires plastic beverage containers sold by a beverage manufacturer, as specified, to contain a specified average percentage of postconsumer recycled plastic per year. The act requires the manufacturer of a beverage sold in a plastic beverage container subject to the California Redemption Value to report to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery certain information about the amounts of virgin plastic and postconsumer recycled plastic used for plastic beverage containers subject to the California Redemption Value for sale in the state in the previous calendar year.
Existing law requires the department to post this reported information on its internet website, as provided.
Existing law provides that a
violation of the act or a regulation adopted pursuant to the act is a crime.
This
bill
bill, beginning on or before March 1, 2027,
would require a manufacturer of a beverage sold in a plastic beverage container subject to the California Redemption Value to also report to the department by country of origin the amount in pounds of imported postconsumer recycled plastic used for plastic beverage containers subject to the California Redemption Value for sale in the state in the previous calendar year and to provide proof that the postconsumer recycled content used by the manufacturer for plastic beverage containers has been validated by a third party, as specified. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would require the department to post on its internet website the reported amounts of imported postconsumer recycled plastic used for plastic beverage containers in an aggregated form and would exempt the unaggregated amounts reported to the department from disclosure under the California Public Records Act.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
The California Constitution
requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF