By Ellen Snortland, DOWNTOWN LA NEWS
“Am I dreaming? Growing up, we used to take bottles and cans back to grocery stores,” I told Consumer Watchdog’s consumer advocate, Liza Tucker. (See below for disclaimer.) “We all still pay a California CRV tax on beverage bottles and cans. We can get a nickel for every container under 24 ounces and a dime for any over that we return. I don’t see anyone — including me — doing that anymore.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Liza said over our meal. “I’ve written tons about this issue, as it’s difficult to sort out the recycling situation in California. Other states put us to shame. It’s eye-crossing.”
Rather than “can” it all — see how I did a little wordplay there? — I doubled down, like “The Little Engine That Could”: I know I can, I know I can, I know I can … unravel the mystery of cans, bottles and recyclables in California. (Can is a simple yet fascinating word … it’s a noun and verb, a demand, a replacement for firing someone and an epithet for a large hind-end.)
So I dove in, did some research and dug up CalRecycle at https://calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer. Its site gave me a link to search for “In-Store California Redemption Value (CRV)” and voilá! My favorite within-walking-distance local grocery store, Grocery Outlet — G.O. — was listed … hurrah!
I love G.O.’s, a chain of grocery stores that consistently delights us with surprises … but that’s not why I’m telling you about them. For this story, I put on my investigator’s hat and went on a mission to find out what your typical Jane or Joe Shopper deals with concerning can and bottle returns.
At the G.O., I had the cans I’d brought from home in a clear plastic trash bag in my shopping cart and three avocadoes (3 for $5!) to purchase. And then … the power suddenly went out all over the store, except for a few emergency lights.
The always affable G.O. staff was on top of the situation; two of them systematically rolled down coverings from the top of shelves in the produce section and open freezer cases, like window blinds, to keep the cold in. After about 15 minutes, amid general grumbling, the staff urged us to leave, and then the lights came back on.
I was soon face to face with a 20-something cashier, a tall young man. “Do you take cans for my nickel rebate?” I asked.
“No, we don’t do that,” he said, with lots of assurance.
“Do you have an address for a local recycling center that does?”
“No.”
“You’re designated as a recycling center; I looked it up before I came.”
The checker on the next aisle joined in: “We don’t recycle cans here!”
A supervisor promptly came over and said, “Yes, we absolutely recycle cans and bottles, all the CRV items. And thank you for bringing your cans in a clear plastic bag so we can easily count them,” she said. Thank goodness for the grown-up in the store who knew what she was doing!
I said, “You may need to issue a memo or have an employee training regarding the CRVs. At least two of your employees have never heard of it.”
“Yes, you’re right. We’ll do that.” I’ll send a shill next week to see if he gets a different reaction from the cashier.
We’ve been saving cans for our gardener, who requested that we do so because it helps him financially. We used to leave them by our recycling bin for a homeless individual who we often found rifling through the bins in our neighborhood for our aluminum castaways. We asked him, “Would you like us to isolate those for you and leave them on top?” Yes, he would, and so we did. He disappeared, and we never knew what happened to him. His name was Lou.
Now, we’re contemplating doing our own returns and applying them toward our food tab. Ideally, every grocery store would be set up to redeem CRVs. Sadly, California recycling is currently a “no, we can’t; no, we don’t” hodge-podge of confusion. Liza told me that 80% of the five- and 10-cent returns don’t make it back into the pockets of the people who paid the CRV fee in the first place. There are trash haulers involved, unscrupulous grocers, confused “can-sumers,” and absurd logistics, especially in rural areas.
What would Liza like to see California do? “How about a modern, 21st century system that works for everyone? Meaning simple, automated convenience for recycling refunds. That is something California, a state known for its innovation, should have no trouble doing.”
It’s not a matter of “can” we, but will we. If enough people bring cans and bottles back to their grocery stores, the stores will lobby for a smoother “can-do” attitude on the part of the state. I think we can. I think we can.
If you get resistance, there’s this link for you: [email protected]. It’s your money, so do the right thing for yourself and the planet and put it back in your pocket!
Full disclosure: I have been on the board of the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog for over 30 years and am friends with many of the board and staff.
