The California Redemptive Value was invented in 1986. This act was developed from the old practice of paying a deposit for glass bottles. Back in the day, people would go to the corner store and buy a glass bottle of soda. The vender might charge a 1 or 2 cent deposit on the bottle. If the bottle was returned, the deposit was returned and the bottle could be washed and refilled.
In 1986 Sacramento weenies believed that there was too much trash, so the put a bounty or a deposit on glass and plastic bottles. The CRV would be charged by the grocery store. When the container was emptied, it could be returned to the grocery store and the CRV would be returned to the customer. The container would then be given to a bottler or a recycler and used again.
In 2010, the California EPA (that is Environmental Protection Agency) took management of the CRV program. The California Department of Resource Recycling and Recovery, which is part of the California EPA, administered the program. The CalRecycle people started the huge recycling effort that is seen around the state today. Behind most grocery stores, in vacant lots and on street corners there are recycling boxes where glass and plastic and metal can be turned in. Many will give the customer an amount of money based on weight. The law says that if I take one metal soda can to one of these places, they will give me 5 cents. I have tried this and they have no idea what I am talking about.
So, today I bought some ice-coffee at my local grocery store. It was a rather large plastic bottle, so I was charged 10 cents CRV. It is listed on the receipt as CRV. When I am done with the plastic bottle, I cannot take it back to the grocery store. I have tried this and they tell me to find a recycling station. So I find a recycling station and I cannot get my 10 cents back, I must bring many plastic bottles and I am given money based on total weight. My 10 cents has vanished into the ether.
I have been told that if a recycler does not give me the CRV, it is not a state run recycling center, it is a private company and they are not bound by the rules and laws. This may be true, but what it shows is that when the government gets involved, things get complicated, difficult to use and inconsistent in their results. I have asked many people I know about returning items for the CRV and no one I know does it. Yet we now have thousands of state employees that my taxes pay for, creating programs and regulations that no one knows how to use. The result is that my drink contains get thrown away in the trash. I am too busy to figure the maze of recycling and CRV that the state has created. My large ice-coffee will not cost $1.99, but will cost $2.09 and the 10 cents CRV just disappears somewhere.
In 1986 Sacramento weenies believed that there was too much trash, so the put a bounty or a deposit on glass and plastic bottles. The CRV would be charged by the grocery store. When the container was emptied, it could be returned to the grocery store and the CRV would be returned to the customer. The container would then be given to a bottler or a recycler and used again.
In 2010, the California EPA (that is Environmental Protection Agency) took management of the CRV program. The California Department of Resource Recycling and Recovery, which is part of the California EPA, administered the program. The CalRecycle people started the huge recycling effort that is seen around the state today. Behind most grocery stores, in vacant lots and on street corners there are recycling boxes where glass and plastic and metal can be turned in. Many will give the customer an amount of money based on weight. The law says that if I take one metal soda can to one of these places, they will give me 5 cents. I have tried this and they have no idea what I am talking about.
So, today I bought some ice-coffee at my local grocery store. It was a rather large plastic bottle, so I was charged 10 cents CRV. It is listed on the receipt as CRV. When I am done with the plastic bottle, I cannot take it back to the grocery store. I have tried this and they tell me to find a recycling station. So I find a recycling station and I cannot get my 10 cents back, I must bring many plastic bottles and I am given money based on total weight. My 10 cents has vanished into the ether.
I have been told that if a recycler does not give me the CRV, it is not a state run recycling center, it is a private company and they are not bound by the rules and laws. This may be true, but what it shows is that when the government gets involved, things get complicated, difficult to use and inconsistent in their results. I have asked many people I know about returning items for the CRV and no one I know does it. Yet we now have thousands of state employees that my taxes pay for, creating programs and regulations that no one knows how to use. The result is that my drink contains get thrown away in the trash. I am too busy to figure the maze of recycling and CRV that the state has created. My large ice-coffee will not cost $1.99, but will cost $2.09 and the 10 cents CRV just disappears somewhere.
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