PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) — California lawmakers are planning a major overhaul of the state’s 33-year-old bottle recycling law. They were spurred to action after all 284 RePlanet recycling centers suddenly shut down, leaving customers with few ways to redeem bottles. Lawmakers will consider changes in January but for now, a stopgap measure is in place.
Recycling centers have been closing one by one — then the major loss when RePlanet shut down overnight. That left few ways to get our bottle deposits back. Not only that, hundreds of grocers were suddenly on the hook to recycle our empties. Now, a new state law tries to give relief to both grocers and their customers — but will it help?