This section says that the definitions provided in this chapter should be used to understand the rest of this division unless it clearly doesn't make sense to apply them.

This law defines an 'aluminum beverage container' as one that is mostly made of aluminum.

The term 'average monthly volume' refers to how many empty beverage containers a certified recycling center accepts on average in a month.

This law defines a 'beneficiating processor' as someone who is certified by the department as a processor and who also processes cullet, which is broken glass, to make it 'furnace ready' for glass container manufacturers. 'Furnace ready' means the glass has been cleaned, is free from contaminants, and is in the proper form for use by manufacturers without needing more processing.

This California law defines what is considered a "beverage" for regulatory purposes. It includes drinks like beer, wine, carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, sport drinks, coffee, tea, and vegetable juice, as long as they are in liquid form and ready for consumption. However, beverages don't include milk, medical food, or infant formula, nor drinks sold in containers that aren't aluminum, glass, plastic, or bimetal. The law also defines specific terms such as "infant formula" and "medical food." It will take effect on January 1, 2024.

A "beverage container" refers to the separate bottle, can, jar, carton, or similar item used to sell a drink. It can be made of metal, glass, plastic, or a mix of these materials. However, this definition does not cover cups or loosely sealed containers.

This section defines what a 'beverage manufacturer' is. Generally, it's anyone who bottles, cans, or fills beverage containers, or imports them for sale. However, if the beverage is beer, wine, or spirits, the 'beverage manufacturer' is the person with the appropriate license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, even if they have a third party actually bottle or can the product, as long as they sell it to distributors or consumers.

This law defines what a 'bimetal container' is. It's a type of beverage container that is mainly made of steel but may also have one or more other metals in it.

This section defines 'commingled' as a mix of empty beverage containers and other containers made from the same type of material.

The term "commingled rate" refers to the ratio of empty beverage containers, like cans or bottles, compared to all containers made from the same kind of material. This rate is determined by a specific department.

This law defines what a 'Community Conservation Corps' is in California. It's either a nonprofit or a local government agency certified by the California Conservation Corps. These corps are made up of young adults organized into supervised work crews, focusing on hard work, personal development, and public service. They engage in a disciplined work experience which includes an educational component, such as vocational training or schooling. Participants get paid at least the federal minimum wage and receive help finding permanent jobs afterward. The corps also undertakes recycling and conservation projects and helps local governments and nonprofits with community resource development. It requires an average annual enrollment of at least 50 members aged 18 to 26. Evaluation for certification happens after 12 months of operation, with annual assessments thereafter.

This section defines a "consumer" as anyone who buys a drink in a beverage container, like a bottle or can, from a retailer for personal use or consumption. This includes places like hotels, restaurants, and vending machines.

This law defines 'cullet' as scrap glass that comes from used food, drink, or beverage container glass, which was originally made or brought into California for sale.

This law defines what a "convenience zone" is for recycling purposes. It can be either the area within a one-mile radius of a supermarket or an area designated by the department. Additionally, it clarifies that entities receiving handling fees as of December 31, 2022, won't lose these fees due to changes made by Senate Bill 1013.

A "curbside program" is a type of recycling initiative that collects empty beverage containers directly from homes. These containers must be kept separate from regular trash before collection. The program is either run by or linked to a city, county, or other public agency. Though the program aims to recycle these containers, it doesn't offer any money back for them.

This law defines what a 'dealer' is in the context of selling beverage containers. A 'dealer' refers to a retail store that sells drinks in containers. However, places like hotels, restaurants, bars, and tasting rooms, as well as vending machine operators who sell drinks on-site, aren't considered 'dealers' for this purpose. Still, distributors selling through these entities must pay a redemption fee on these drink containers.

The law also mentions that the department in charge will identify dealers using information from a specified business database updated at least once a year.

A "dealer cooperative" is a type of organization made up of dealers that's allowed to not pay federal income tax, according to tax rules set in 1986. These cooperatives are designed to help dealers offer recycling redemption services. Joining a dealer cooperative is optional for any dealer, and they must have a specific plan for redemption to be part of one.

This section defines the term "Department" as referring specifically to the Division of Recycling within the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

In this section, the term “Director” refers to the Director of Resources Recycling and Recovery, who is responsible for overseeing recycling and resource recovery activities.

A 'Distributor' is anyone who sells drinks in containers to retailers in California. This includes manufacturers selling directly and anyone bringing drinks from outside California to sell to retailers or consumers in the state.

This section defines the term "drink" as including fruit juice and any noncarbonated beverage.

This section defines a 'dropoff or collection program' as any certified organization, including individuals, nonprofits, churches, or clubs, that receives empty beverage containers from consumers to recycle them. It also includes facilities that sort beverage containers from waste for recycling. However, it specifically excludes certified recycling centers and curbside recycling programs from this definition.

An 'empty beverage container' is defined by specific conditions. First, the container must have its seal opened or removed. Second, it should not contain any foreign materials other than the drink's original residue. Third, it must display a required message or be refillable. Lastly, it should have an established refund value.

This law describes what 'food or drink packaging material' means. It refers to any packaging used to sell food or drinks in stores that isn't a drink container, and the food or drink is meant to be consumed somewhere other than where it's sold.

This law section defines what 'for recycling' means. It states that a beverage container is considered 'for recycling' only if a processor receives it with a plan to truly recycle it.

This section defines the term 'Fund' as the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, which is created under a specific part of the law.

This section defines a 'glass beverage container' as a container used for drinks that is mainly made out of glass.

This law defines what a 'glass container manufacturer' is in California. It applies to any person or company making commercial containers, mainly from glass—whether new or recycled—for sale in California or abroad. It specifically includes manufacturers of beverage and food packaging made mostly of glass. Notably, for beer and malt beverages made outside California, the manufacturer is considered to be the one named on a specific compliance certificate.

This law defines a 'glass food or drink container' as any container made mainly from new or recycled glass, or a mix of both, that holds food or drink and is sold in California.

This law section defines the term "handling fee" as the amount paid to certain recycling operators for each beverage container they redeem. These operators can include supermarket sites, rural region recyclers, or nonprofit convenience zone recyclers located within a specific area known as a convenience zone.

This section defines 'HDPE' as a type of plastic beverage container that is marked with the number '2', indicating it is made from high-density-polyethylene resin, as per specific labeling standards.

This section defines a 'managing employee' as someone who oversees the operations of a facility or has the authority from a certified operator to sign shipping reports. It is not limited to these roles, meaning it could include other managerial duties as well.

This law section defines the term “Not for recycling.” It refers to a situation where a processor has received an empty beverage container but has no plan or agreement to actually recycle that container.

A "nonprofit convenience zone recycler" is a type of recycling center run by a nonprofit organization. It qualifies either by being in a designated convenience zone and certified by the state, or by being near a supermarket in an exempt convenience zone. This means it must be operated by a nonprofit under certain IRS sections and meet specific location and certification requirements.

This law defines an "other beverage container" as a bottle or can made from metal, glass, plastic, or mixed materials, but it excludes those specifically made from aluminum, bimetal, glass, or plastic.

This section defines what an “out-of-state container” is. It's a used beverage container or part of one that isn't covered by a specific California recycling law (Section 14560) and is brought into California from another state.

This section defines "person" in a broad way, including not just individuals, but also corporations, operations, or entities. Importantly, it doesn't matter if they are certified or registered under this specific division—anyone or anything can qualify as a "person."

This law defines a 'PET container' as a plastic beverage container marked with the number '1' as required by another law. It specifies that this type of container is subject to certain regulatory requirements.

This law defines a 'physical recycling location' as a spot in a convenience zone with one or more reverse vending machines that take all kinds of empty aluminum, glass, and plastic beverage containers and give back cash or a credit slip. These machines must be within 10 feet of each other. They also need to accept unique sizes or materials of containers as approved by the department. A location is not considered a physical recycling location if it has machines that don't accept all types of those containers or if it includes dropoff bins.

A "pilot project recycler" refers to a specific type of recycling location set up under the guidelines of another law, specifically Section 14571.9. This rule is only in effect until January 1, 2034, after which it will no longer be valid.

This law defines what is meant by a dealer's 'place of business' as the actual spot where a dealer sells beverages in containers to customers or has them available for sale.

A 'plastic beverage container' refers to a drink container that is mostly made of plastic.

The law defines a 'postfilled container' as any container that has already been filled with a beverage or food and used for that purpose before.

A "Processor" is anyone certified by the department to buy empty beverage containers that have a refund value, like aluminum, glass, or plastic, from recycling centers. They either recycle these containers or, if they can't be recycled, handle them accordingly. The Processor must cancel the refund value of these containers by processing them in a way approved by the department. Importantly, the department cannot regulate scrap dealers or recycling centers acting as processors unless it's allowed by other parts of the law.

The term "processing fee" refers to the money that beverage manufacturers have to pay to a specific government department, as required under a different law, Section 14575.

Processing payments are funds given to recycling programs and facilities when the value offered by manufacturers for recycled materials is too low. These payments help ensure that recycling centers can economically recycle certain containers. The state department determines how much these payments should be.

This law defines the terms 'recycle,' 'recycled,' 'recycling,' and 'recyclable' specifically for beverage containers. It describes recycling as either reusing or refilling containers or as processing them by sorting, cleaning, treating, and changing them into new forms for use again. Simply sorting or compressing containers, or throwing them away, is not considered recycling under this law.

In this law, a 'Recycler' is defined as any place or program where recycling happens, like a recycling center, a drop-off location, or a curbside pickup service.

A "recycling center" is a certified operation that takes in empty beverage containers from consumers and gives them a refund value for recycling those containers.

A "recycling location" is defined as any place or device like a mobile unit or reverse vending machine where certified recycling centers take back empty beverage containers from consumers and give them the refund value for those containers.

This section defines a 'noncertified recycler' as any person or organization that buys empty drink containers from people or collection sites, but isn't officially approved by the department.

This law defines 'recycling rate' as the percentage of empty drink containers, sorted by type, that are sent to recycling processors. The calculation method follows the guidelines in Section 14551.

This law explains that "redemption" or "redeem" refers to taking an empty beverage container to a recycling center or a designated location to get back at least the refund value of that container.

In this section, 'redemption payment' refers to the minimum fee that a distributor must pay to the department for each beverage container they sell or give to a dealer.

The term "redemption rate" refers to the percentage of empty beverage containers that people bring back to processors, as outlined in another specific section of the law.

This law defines 'refund value' as the money set for each beverage container type, which varies based on who is paying it. First, certified recycling centers pay consumers or collection centers for containers they return, and this isn't taxed under personal or corporate income tax laws. Second, processors pay recycling centers or collection programs for containers they receive. Lastly, the department pays processors for containers they get from recycling centers or programs.

This law defines what qualifies as a 'refillable beverage container'. It includes aluminum, bimetal, glass, plastic, or other types of beverage containers that hold 150 fluid ounces or less. These containers must also have a deposit of at least three cents and are typically returned to the manufacturer to be refilled and resold.

This section defines a 'reusable beverage container' as a glass bottle that has a set refund value. It is meant to be processed for cleaning and refilled for resale by the beverage maker.

A reverse vending machine is a device that takes empty beverage containers and gives back cash or a credit slip equal to or greater than the refund value of the containers. When multiple containers are returned at once, the refund values are added together and paid out as a single sum.

"Scrap value" refers to the amount of money someone gets for recyclable container materials once the costs for shipping and handling are taken out.

A "supermarket" is defined as a self-service retail store that sells a variety of groceries and some perishable items, with at least $2 million in annual sales. The department uses information from the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook to identify which stores qualify as supermarkets.

This law section defines what qualifies as a "supermarket site" for recycling centers. It specifies that a supermarket site is a certified recycling center where all kinds of empty beverage containers can be returned, as per the rules of another section. Such a center can be located inside or right next to the entrance of a supermarket, or in its parking lot or loading area. The supermarket must be the main point of what's called a convenience zone, or a dealer located in that zone. The location must also be reachable by car.

This section explains that "use or consumption" of a beverage refers to any kind of interacting with or using it as an owner would, such as drinking it. However, it doesn't cover selling the beverage or storing it to be sold later.

A Universal Product Code (UPC) is an 11-digit number that identifies specific details such as the brand, size, type, and manufacturer of a beverage container or consumer package, using bars and spaces for scanning.

This law defines "voluntary artificial scrap value" as the price a buyer pays for empty PET containers. Importantly, when this price is combined with certain payments from a designated PET processing account, it should meet or exceed the recycling costs for these containers.

This law defines what a "wine and distilled spirit cooler" is. It's a type of drink that includes wine or spirits with added juice or flavors. The rules in this section will start being enforced on January 1, 2024.

This law sets statewide rules for recycling-related fees for beverage containers, like refund values and deposits, and prevents local governments from creating their own rules about these fees unless specifically allowed by the state law. If a federal or new state initiative law is passed regarding these fees, this state law would stop being in effect. However, local governments can still manage and charge fees for curbside or dropoff recycling programs.

This law states that if the department or any person or entity takes steps to boost recycling efforts, such as affecting scrap values, changing the quantities of materials being recycled, or altering how beverage sales are invoiced, it isn't considered a violation of certain California competition and business fairness laws. However, this exception doesn't apply to actions specifically by recycling centers that seek to increase beverage container recycling.

This law states that normally, California's rules about deposits for beverage containers don't apply to national parks, military bases, or other federal properties. However, if federal law allows it, these rules can apply to these places, but only for containers not covered by their own deposit programs. A 'program involving the collection and payment of deposits' means any federal property’s system where buyers pay a deposit on beverage containers and can get that deposit back later.

The term "bag drop recycling center" refers to a place run by a certified recycling center where people can leave their bagged empty drink containers to get them recycled. These centers might use a machine specifically designed for bag drop-offs.

A "Neighborhood dropoff program" is a recycling initiative that satisfies three specific conditions. First, it must be certified by the appropriate department as a valid dropoff or collection program. Second, it needs to be officially chosen by a city or county to serve residential neighborhoods that the local government specifies for recycling services. Lastly, the program must operate within a rural region as legally defined.

A "rural region recycler" is a certified operator who collects empty beverage containers from people living in rural areas to recycle them.