The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires a distributor of beverage containers to pay to the department a redemption payment for every beverage container sold or offered for sale, as provided. The act requires the department to deposit those amounts into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The act requires the fund to be continuously appropriated to the department for specified purposes, including, among other things, to pay refund values, administrative fees, and processing payments associated with the collection and recycling of empty beverage containers. Until July, 1, 2027, the act authorizes the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer, as provided. Through the 2025–26 fiscal year, the act continuously appropriates money from the fund to the department for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers for empty plastic beverage containers, as provided.
This bill would require the department to establish a singular market development payment for empty polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic beverage containers collected for recycling and a singular market development payment for PET plastic collected and processed into flake or pellet, as specified. By authorizing a new use for continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would authorize the department to expend up to $35,000,000 annually for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers. The bill would extend the department's authority to pay a market development payment from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2029, inclusive.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Statutes affected:
AB 1149: 12511 VEH
02/20/25 - Introduced: 12511 VEH
04/01/25 - Amended Assembly: 12511 VEH
05/22/25 - Amended Senate: 12511 VEH
04/29/26 - Amended Senate: 14549.2 PRC, 14549.2 PRC, 12511 VEH
AB1149: 12511 VEH