Beverage containers: processing payments.

The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires a beverage manufacturer to pay to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery a processing fee for each beverage container, as defined, sold or transferred in this state. The act requires the department to deposit the fee into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund. The act requires the department to pay processing payments to processors and recycling centers from the fund, as specified. The act requires the processing payment to be at least equal to the difference between the scrap value of the beverage containers and the sum of certain actual operational costs for certified recycling centers and a reasonable financial return for recycling centers, as specified. Existing regulations require a reasonable financial return for recycling centers equal to 10% of certain statewide averages. The act requires the processing fee to be 65% of the processing payment, except as specified. This bill would specify, for purposes of calculating the processing payment, that 10% is a reasonable financial return for recycling centers.