The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act: recycling machines: pilot projects.

The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires a beverage distributor to pay to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery a redemption payment for each beverage container, as defined, sold or offered for sale in the state. The act requires the department to deposit the redemption payment into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated for specified purposes, including to pay refund values, processing payments, administrative fees, and handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide incentives for the redemption of empty beverage containers in the state. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would, until January 1, 2034, authorize up to 3 recycling machine pilot projects, as specified. The bill would define "recycling machine" as a mechanical device that accepts empty machine acceptable beverage containers for redemption, as provided. The bill would authorize the department to select a jurisdiction for a pilot project based on certain criteria, and would specify the requirements for the operation of a pilot project. The bill would authorize the department to issue probationary certificates of operation to operators of recycling machine pilot projects, as specified. The bill would make an operator of a recycling machine pilot project operator eligible for processing payments and handling fees. By authorizing these additional expenditures from a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. By creating new requirements under the act, a violation of which would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.