Drink it up; Big Improvement in California Container Recycling

Date: December 24, 2007

Source: California Department of Conservation

Department of Conservation

November 7, 2007

To: All Interested Parties

Subject: Biannual Report of Beverage Container Sales, Returns, Redemption, and Recycling Rates

Public Resources Code Section 14551 requires the Department of Conservation (Department) to report biannually on the redemption and recycling rates for each six-month period within 130 days of the end of that period. Enclosed, please find the Biannual Report of Redemption and Recycling Rates for the first six-month period January through June of the 2007 calendar year.

The beverage container recycling rate for All Materials during the January through June 2007 period is 71 percent. This is an outstanding success, attributable to some of the important recycling incentives enacted in AB 3056 (Chapter 907, Statutes of 2006). Material specific recycling rates are as follows: aluminum 83 percent, glass 71 percent, #1 PET 58 percent, #2 HDPE 70 percent, #3 PVC 12 percent, #4 LDPE 0 percent, #5 PP 2 percent, #6 PS 1 percent, #7 Other 6 percent, and bimetal 9 percent.

During the six-month period of January through June 2007, Californians recycled over 6.9 billion beverage containers; this is an increase of nearly 800 million beverage containers from the same time period in 2006. California still leads the nation in total quantity of bottles and cans recycled.

If you have any questions about this report, please contact Stephen Bantillo, Assistant Director for Recycling, at (916) 323-3836.

Bridgett Luther
Director
Enclosures

www.conservation.ca.gov/dor/Notices/Documents/Biannual.pdf

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