The CRV fee is California’s Redemption Value deposit, a refundable 5, 10, or 25 cents the state adds to most beverage containers at checkout. You pay it when you buy the drink and get it back when you return the empty container to a certified recycling center. It is not a tax. The deposit funds the state’s Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act by building the refund into every eligible purchase.
How Much You Pay Per Container
The deposit depends on the container, not the drink inside:
- 5 cents for any aluminum, glass, plastic, or bimetal container under 24 fluid ounces.
- 10 cents for the same materials at 24 fluid ounces or more.
- 25 cents for bag-in-box, multi-layer pouch, paperboard carton, or plastic pouch containers of wine and distilled spirits, regardless of size.
CRV is charged per container, not per package. A 12-pack of 12-ounce cans adds 60 cents to your receipt.1CalRecycle. Beverage Container Recycling – Consumers The 5- and 10-cent rates are unchanged for 2026.2California Legislative Information. California Code PRC 14560
Which Drinks Carry the Deposit
The program covers nearly all beverages sold in aluminum, glass, plastic, or bimetal containers: carbonated soft drinks, carbonated and noncarbonated water, beer and malt beverages, sports drinks, and coffee and tea drinks.3CalRecycle. Beverages Subject to California Refund Value (CRV)
As of January 1, 2024, the list grew. Wine, sparkling wine, and distilled spirits now carry CRV; before that, the only alcoholic beverages covered were those at 7 percent alcohol by volume or less, like beer and wine coolers. Fruit juice and vegetable juice in all container sizes are also now included, where previously fruit juice was covered only in containers 46 ounces or smaller and vegetable juice only at 16 ounces or smaller.4CalRecycle. Changes to the Beverage Container Recycling Program
What’s Exempt
Some things on the beverage aisle do not carry CRV, so returning them earns nothing:
- Milk
- Infant formula
- Medical food
- Juice in shelf-stable cartons (as opposed to glass or plastic bottles)
- Food and non-beverage containers, such as condiment bottles or cleaning product containers
If a container has no CRV marking, no deposit was charged and no refund is available.5CalRecycle. Beverage Container Recycling
How to Spot a CRV Container
Eligible containers must display one of these phrases, etched, embossed, or printed on the packaging:
- “CA Redemption Value” or “California Redemption Value”
- “CA Cash Refund” or “California Cash Refund”
- “CA CRV”
There’s a transition quirk worth knowing. Wine and spirits containers filled before July 1, 2025, may not carry a CRV label yet, and the newly added beverage categories have until July 1, 2026, to add the required markings. After that date, those containers can still be redeemed even if the CRV message isn’t printed on them.4CalRecycle. Changes to the Beverage Container Recycling Program
How to Get Your Deposit Back
Bring your empties to a certified recycling center. CalRecycle’s “Where to Recycle” tool lets you search by address, city, or county.6CalRecycle. Where to Recycle Some sites use reverse vending machines that accept containers one at a time and issue a receipt or payment.7CalRecycle. Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program
Payment by Count
You can ask to be paid by count for up to 50 containers per material type per visit (25 each for bag-in-box, multi-layer pouch, and paperboard carton types). Counting guarantees the full 5, 10, or 25 cents per container and usually pays more than weight, especially for light aluminum cans.5CalRecycle. Beverage Container Recycling
Payment by Weight
Bring more than those limits and the center pays by weight using state minimum per-pound rates. For 2026, those minimums include $1.66 per pound for aluminum (roughly 31 containers), $1.46 per pound for #1 PET plastic (roughly 27 containers), and $0.101 per pound for glass (roughly 2 containers). Daily caps are 100 pounds for aluminum, 100 pounds for plastic, and 1,000 pounds for glass. Loads mixed with non-CRV items may be rejected or paid only at scrap value.1CalRecycle. Beverage Container Recycling – Consumers
If There’s No Recycling Center Near You
California defines a “convenience zone” as the area within one mile of a supermarket doing $2 million or more in annual sales. When no certified recycling center operates in such a zone, retailers get a 60-day notice and must then either redeem CRV containers in-store during regular hours or join a dealer cooperative that runs a nearby redemption site. Cooperative participants have to post a sign at every public entrance giving the name, address, and hours of the nearest cooperative location. A previous option of paying CalRecycle $100 per day to opt out was repealed as of January 1, 2025.8CalRecycle. Retailers/Dealers
Containers From Out of State Don’t Qualify
CRV is only charged on beverages sold in California, so redeeming containers bought elsewhere is fraud. You should not claim or receive refund value for containers you know, or should know, came from out of state. CalRecycle runs an Imported Empty Beverage Container Reporting and Inspection Program to catch and penalize violations.9CalRecycle. Imported Empty Beverage Container Reporting and Inspection Program