Background
The benefits of recycling beverage containers are many. It saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and conserves natural resources!
Get 5¢ when you recycle beverage containers 24 ounces or less and 10¢ for each container greater. To find a recycling center in your area, visit CalRecycle’s Recycling Centers page. For additional recyclers, visit our Smart Business Recycling website.
RECYCLE YOUR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS!
To request bins for collecting beverage containers in breakrooms, entrances/exits of office spaces, restrooms, and venues, contact your Department Recycling Coordinator.
The County has agreements with approved vendors to collect and recycle beverage containers. For facilities generating large volumes of beverage containers, your department’s Facilities Manager may contact Internal Services Department (ISD), Sumit Sharma at (323) 267-2223 to set up service with an approved non-profit organization for the collection and recycling of beverage containers. County facilities may also contact ISD to set up mixed recycling service with their exclusive FASMA trash/recycling area hauler. County facilities in the unincorporated areas may set up mixed recycling service with the County’s commercial franchise haulers. County facilities located in City jurisdictions may set up mixed recycling service with their City’s exclusive commercial franchise hauler.
To self-haul collected beverage containers to nearby recyclers/recycling centers, visit the following CalRecycle websites:
Listen to Dodgers Reporter, David Vassegh’s interview with the Director of Public Works:
BEVERAGE CONTAINER RECYCLING BIN TIPS
- Avoid placing cardboard bins near water sources, damaged vents, heat sources, fuel sources, and electrical outlets.
- Use a bin liner.
- Replace cardboard bins when damaged by liquid or pests.
FACTS (source calrecycle.ca.gov)
- In California, about 27.8 billion California Refund Value (CRV) eligible containers were sold in 2022.
- Of those, more than 19.6 billion were recycled.
- And the 3 billion that ended up in landfills or littered? You could use them to fill every lane of a more than 700-mile length of Interstate 5…almost a foot deep.
- CRV refunds are available to anyone–consumers, companies, or nonprofits–who returns bottles and cans to a recycling center.
- For every 10 pounds of aluminum you recycle, you eliminate 37 pounds of carbon emissions from the air.
- For every 10 pounds of clear plastic water or soda bottles, 3.3 pounds of carbon emissions disappear.
- Although glass bottles are a lot heavier, each 10 pounds recycled still reduces carbon by nearly a pound.
- In a landfill, aluminum cans take 80-100 years to break down.
- Plastic bottles hang around as long as 700 years.
- Glass bottles spend 1 million years waiting around to decompose.