Title PRC, California Pub. Res. Code

“Out-of-state container” means a used beverage container or used beverage container component that is not subject to Section 14560, and that is brought into this state. (Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 731, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2001.)

“Person” means any individual, corporation, operation, or entity, whether or not certified or registered pursuant to this division. (Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 597, Sec. 1. (AB 1846) Effective January 1, 2015.)

“PET container” means a plastic beverage container labeled with a “1” pursuant to Section 18015 and subject to this division. (Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 815, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2000.)

“Physical recycling location” means the area in a convenience zone served by one or more reverse vending machines which accept all empty aluminum, glass, and plastic beverage containers and issue a cash refund or a redeemable credit slip and are located within 10 feet of each oth…

(a) “Pilot project recycler” means a recycling location established under Section 14571.9. (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2034, and as of that date is repealed. (Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 182, Sec. 1. (SB 1113) Effective January 1, 2025. Repealed …

“Place of business of the dealer” means the location at which a dealer sells, or offers for sale, beverages in beverage containers to consumers. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1290, Sec. 2. Effective September 29, 1986.)

“Plastic beverage container” means a beverage container which has a body consisting primarily of plastic. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1290, Sec. 2. Effective September 29, 1986.)

“Postfilled container” means any container which had been previously filled with a beverage or food. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1290, Sec. 2. Effective September 29, 1986.)

“Processor” means any person, including a scrap dealer, certified by the department who purchases empty aluminum beverage containers, bimetal beverage containers, glass beverage containers, plastic beverage containers, or any other beverage containers, including any one or more o…

“Processing fee” means the amount paid by beverage manufacturers to the department pursuant to Section 14575. (Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 624, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1996.)

“Processing payment” means an amount paid to processors, dropoff or collection programs, curbside programs, and recycling centers by the department pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 14573 and subdivision (a) of Section 14573.5 when the department determines that the scrap va…

“Recycle,” “recycled,” “recycling,” or “recyclable” means the reuse or refilling of empty beverage containers, or the process of sorting, cleansing, treating, and reconstituting empty postfilled beverage containers for the purpose of using the altered form. “Recycle,” “recycled,”…

“Recycler” means a recycling center, dropoff or collection program, or curbside program. (Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 815, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 2000.)

“Recycling center” means an operation which is certified by the department and which accepts from consumers, and pays or provides the refund value pursuant to Section 14572 for, empty beverage containers intended to be recycled. (Amended by Stats. 1989, Ch. 1339, Sec. 7. Effectiv…

“Recycling location” means a place, mobile unit, reverse vending machine, or other device where a certified recycling center accepts one or more types of empty beverage containers from consumers, and pays or provides the refund value for one or more types of empty beverage contai…

“Noncertified recycler” means a person, entity, or operation which is not certified by the department and which purchases empty beverage containers from consumers, or from dropoff or collection programs. (Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 227, Sec. 1.)

“Recycling rate” means the proportion of empty beverage containers by type returned to processors for recycling, measured in the manner prescribed in Section 14551. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1290, Sec. 2. Effective September 29, 1986.)

“Redemption” and “redeem” means the return to a recycling center or location of an empty beverage container for a refund of at least the refund value. (Amended by Stats. 1989, Ch. 1339, Sec. 10. Effective October 2, 1989.)

“Redemption payment” means the minimum amount paid by a distributor to the department for every beverage container sold or transferred to a dealer. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1989, Ch. 1339, Sec. 12. Effective October 2, 1989.)

“Redemption rate” means the proportion of empty beverage containers returned to processors measured in the manner prescribed in Section 14551. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1290, Sec. 2. Effective September 29, 1986.)

“Refund value” means the amount established for each type of beverage container pursuant to Section 14560 that is paid by the following: (a) A certified recycling center to the consumer or dropoff or collection center for each beverage container redeemed by the consumer or dropof…

“Refillable beverage container” means any aluminum beverage container, bimetal beverage container, glass beverage container, plastic beverage container, or other beverage container, holding 150 fluid ounces or less of beverage, which has a minimum deposit of three cents ($0.03), …

“Reusable beverage container” means a glass beverage container with a refund value established pursuant to Section 14560 and that is processed by a processor for subsequent washing for refill and sale by a beverage manufacturer. (Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 502, Sec. 1. (AB 962) Ef…

“Reverse vending machine” means a mechanical device which accepts one or more types of empty beverage containers and issues a cash refund or a redeemable credit slip with a value not less than the container’s refund value. The refund value payments shall be aggregated and then pa…

“Rural region recycler” means an operator that is certified pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 14571, and who accepts or collects empty beverage containers from consumers pursuant to Section 14572 with the intention to recycle them. (Amend…

“Scrap value” means the price paid for container material types subject to this division, after shipping and handling costs are deducted. (Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1274, Sec. 4. Effective September 25, 1990.)

(a) “Supermarket” means a full-line, self-service retail store with gross annual sales of six million dollars ($6,000,000), or more, and which sells a line of dry groceries, canned goods, alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages, nonfood items, or some perishable items, regardless of …

“Supermarket site” means any certified recycling center which redeems all types of empty beverage containers in accordance with Section 14572, and which is located within, or outside and immediately adjacent to the entrance of, or at, or within a parking lot or loading area surro…

“Use or consumption” includes the exercise of any right or power over a beverage incidental to the beverage’s ownership, including, but not limited to, drinking the beverage. “Use or consumption” does not include the sale, or the keeping or retention, of a beverage for the purpos…

“Universal product code” is an 11-digit, all-numeric code that represents a beverage container or other consumer package of a particular brand, size, type, and manufacturer by using a series of alternating bars and spaces for electronic scanning. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1290, …

“Voluntary artificial scrap value” means a price paid by a willing purchaser of empty PET containers, that reflects the payment of the scrap value for all PET containers sold, and that, when combined with payments made from the PET processing fee account pursuant to clause (ii) o…

(a) “Wine and distilled spirit cooler” means a beverage containing wine or distilled spirits to which is added concentrated or unconcentrated juice or flavoring material. (b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2024. (Repealed (in Sec. 7) and added by Stats. 2022, C…

This division is a matter of statewide interest and concern and is applicable uniformly throughout the state. Accordingly, this division occupies the whole field of regulation of recycling-related refund values, redemption payments, deposits, and similar fees relating to beverage…

Any action to increase recycling taken by the department, or by any person or entity, affecting scrap values, the quantities of materials being recycled, or the method of invoicing the sale of beverages pursuant to this division is not a violation of the Cartwright Act (Chapter 2…

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), this division does not apply to any program involving the collection and payment of deposits for beverage containers sold, used, or consumed at national parks and monuments, military installations, or any other property owned by and unde…

The definitions in this chapter govern the construction of this division. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 816, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)

“Battery pack” means any combination of dry cell batteries containing one or more rechargeable batteries that is usually assembled for a particular application and commonly has wire leads, terminals, and dielectric housing. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 816, Sec. 2. Eff…

“Board” means the California Integrated Waste Management Board. (Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 816, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)

“Dry cell battery” means any type of enclosed device or sealed container consisting of one or more voltaic or galvanic cells, electrically connected to produce electric energy, composed of lead, lithium, manganese, mercury, mercuric oxide, silver oxide, cadmium, zinc, copper, or …

“Easily removable,” with respect to a rechargeable battery or battery pack, means that the rechargeable battery or battery pack is either detachable or readily removable from a consumer product by a consumer with the use of common household tools at the end of the life of the pro…

“Manufacturer” means any person who manufactures dry cell batteries, rechargeable batteries or battery packs, or rechargeable consumer products. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 816, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)

“Mercuric oxide button cell battery” means a battery which contains mercuric oxide electrodes, resembles buttons in size and shape, and is used in consumer products such as hearing aids. (Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 817, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1994.)

“Mercuric oxide battery” means a battery containing mercuric oxide electrodes, except that mercuric oxide button cells are excluded from this definition. (Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 817, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)

(a) “Rechargeable battery” means any dry cell battery containing an electrode composed of cadmium or lead, or any combination thereof, of any shape that is designed for reuse, and is capable of being recharged after repeated uses. (b) “Rechargeable battery” does not include eithe…

“Rechargeable consumer product” means any product, including any laptop computer or cordless electric tool or appliance, which, when sold at retail, contains, or is sold with, a rechargeable battery as its primary power supply, and that is commonly used for personal or household …

“Remanufactured product” means a rechargeable consumer product manufactured prior to July 1, 1994, which has been returned to the manufacturer for refurbishment and either returned to the consumer or resold. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 816, Sec. 2. Effective January 1…