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Beverage containers in ocean litter |
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Californians have been recycling beverage containers since the first "Bottle Bill" law, AB 2020, was adopted in 1986 to encourage recycling and reduce litter. Under this system, consumers get paid the California Refund Value (CRV) when they return these recyclable containers to a recycling center. Recovery rates for glass, plastic and aluminum have significantly increased over the years, largely due to the availability of convenient recycling programs and locations in virtually all California communities.
Industry is continually making improvements in packaging (the containers themselves), like reducing the weight of aluminum cans so it takes fewer resources and fossil fuels to produce and transport the lighter weight cans to market. However, despite these improvements, beverage containers continue to be a major source of pollution, littering our oceans and waterways when they're not recycled properly. The good news is that beverage container recovery rates continue to rise, with 8.35 billion beverage containers recycled in California in 2009, roughly 91% of all the containers that were sold in the same year.
Did you know?
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Recycling one ton of glass saves the equivalent of 10 gallons of oil.
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Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.
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Recycling one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 4 hours.
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Aluminum cans are unique in that in as little as 60 days, a can can be recycled, turned into a new can and re-stocked on store shelves.
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The first PET bottle was recycled in 1977.
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It takes fourteen 20 oz. PET bottles to make one square foot of carpet.
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BYOB: Bring Your Own Bottle
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