Where Have All the CRVs Gone?*

Due to the reduced availability of convenient CRV redemption sites and the lack of accurate online information, it is difficult for resident consumers to redeem CRV fees. Response: Agrees with the finding. Resident customers have contacted the County to find locations for CRV redemption. These locations are not always convenient to the customer locations and require extra effort and travel to benefit from the redemption program.

Because redemption site locations have diminished in number, waste haulers are the beneficiaries to the CRV fees paid originally by resident consumers. Agrees with the finding. With the added effort resident customers must put Response: forth to benefit from CRV redemption, many choose to forego the fees they would receive and disposing of the material instead. Waste haulers have better access to the redemption sites than resident customers, although it is not confirmed the waste haulers are benefiting from this availability.

CalRecycle is attempting to improve CRV redemption and reduce CRV recyclables from landfills and are offering financial incentives to do so. Orange County and its cities are not fully taking advantage of the grant or pilot program opportunities available through CalRecycle. Agrees with the finding. The County considers available funding and grant Response: requirements compared to resources needed to implement new programs with CRV related funding. CalRecycle depends on unincorporated Orange County demographics to determine funding amounts. Based on the structure of the grants, the County has found it is more beneficial for Cities to apply due to the larger financial incentives and access to existing CRV sites within their jurisdiction. That said, the County will continue to proactively explore all CalRecycle related CRV grants. In addition, OCWR staff continues to update Orange County Cities on CalRecycle grant funding opportunities through quarterly Recycling Coordinator meetings.

Orange County and most OC Cities do not make CRV redemption and recycling a priority when negotiating their waste hauler contracts which results in missed financial opportunities and convenience for their residents. Disagrees partially with the finding. During contract negotiations for the Response: County's unincorporated areas recycling material was at the forefront of the negotiations. While CRV redemption was not specifically identified, overall waste diversion (recycling) was a critical piece of the negotiations. For clarification, CRV is not called out specifically since it is part of the identified recycling materials to be diverted from the landfills; thus the recycling requirements are greater than just the CRV. The financial opportunities associated with rates are part of the competitive bid process where a hauler will weigh the benefit of the recycling market to help offset the cost for collection, processing and market fluctuation.