Redemption Innovation Grant Program

Purpose

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) offers the Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 101 (Chapter 12, Skinner, Budget Act of 2023) and Assembly Bill (AB) 107 (Chapter 22, Gabriel, Budget Act of 2024). The purpose of the grant is to provide funding for mobile unit programs, reverse vending machines, or bag drop programs for dealer cooperatives.

Description

Eligible Applicants Private, nonprofit entities, in addition to being registered and in good standing with the California Secretary of State, must also be registered and in good standing with the California Department of Justice, and appear on their Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. If a nonprofit entity is excluded from registering with the Department of Justice, proof must be provided with the application. Eligible applicants include: Dealer Cooperatives A dealer cooperative is a stewardship organization that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and formed for the purpose of providing redemption opportunities pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 14578 and consists of member dealers and has an approved dealer cooperative stewardship plan. A dealer cooperative is voluntary for a dealer to join pursuant to Section 14578. Individual Application An Individual Application is one in which a single eligible entity will be responsible for grant implementation. The applicant in an Individual Application will be responsible for the performance of the grant and all related documentation. In addition, the applicant will be the only entity receiving any real or personal property that is purchased with grant funds. Eligible Projects/Products All projects must be located within an unserved zone identified within the CalRecycle approved dealer cooperative stewardship plan. Eligible projects include: · Mobile Programs. Consist of either: redemption in-person through staffed systems that are moved between different redemption locations pickup-service redemption at the consumer's addresses within unserved zones. · Bag Drop Programs. Consist of consumers depositing empty beverage containers in a sealable bag, box, or other container into a designated Bag Drop receptacle for later collection and redemption. · Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs). Consist of deployment of automated machines that accept empty beverage containers and provide payment to customers at time of deposit.