How to Redeem Bottles in California

California is one of a few states that offers cash refunds for bottle recycling. The price of the refund is built into the cost of the beverage you purchase, so the refund is paid for up front by consumers. A wide variety of state-run and privately operated recycling centers exist in California, ranging from large-scale operations to grocery store drop-off points. The California Beverage Container Recycling Center (BCRC) oversees the program, which contains the California Refund Value (CRV) for bottles.

Instructions

• 1

  Check if your bottle is redeemable. If the label on your bottle says CA CASH REFUND or CA CRV, you may take it to a participating recycling center for money back. As of 2010, most bottles are redeemable for five cents, unless the bottle is larger than 24 ounces, at which point the refund is 10 cents.

• 2

  Inspect your bottles. Recycling centers can refuse bottles that are excessively dirty or contaminated with other substances. Residue from the drinks that the bottles contained is perfectly acceptable. Unless your bottles are particularly dirty, you will not need to wash them first.

• 3

  Determine the volume of bottles you're recycling. If you are recycling 50 bottles or less, you may be paid on a per-item basis. If you bring in more than 50 bottles, many recycling centers will pay you by weight, rather than by item. Per-pound rates for bottles can fluctuate with demand, though the per-item rate stays the same unless changed by California law.

• 4

  Find a recycling center. California has more than 2,200 centers throughout the state. The BCRC maintains an online database of locations searchable by ZIP code. Additionally, you can call the BCRC for more information.

• 5

  Recycle your bottles. Take your bottles to the nearest recycling center. The center will issue you a refund via cash, check or redeemable voucher. Smaller retail recycling locations will not be able to process a large volume of bottles.