California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 2 - Department of Conservation
Chapter 5 - Division of Recycling
Subchapter 6 - Recycling Centers
Article 1 - Requirements for Recycling Centers
Section 2501 - Load Inspection Requirements

Universal Citation: 14 CA Code of Regs 2501

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

(a) Certified recycling centers shall inspect each load of containers, subject to the Act, delivered to the recycling center, for which refund value is claimed, to determine whether the load is eligible for any refund value and, if so, to determine whether the load is segregated or commingled, as follows:

(1) For transactions with consumers, the recycling center shall remove the containers from any bag, box or other receptacle used to deliver the material to the recycling center and visually inspect the containers prior to determining the basis for payment and paying the seller. In no case shall a certified recycling center pay or claim the refund value for any material not inspected by the recycling center.

(2) For any load delivered to a recycling center, from a dropoff or collection program, community service program, curbside program or other recycling center, each recycling center taking delivery of the material shall visually inspect each load of material by monitoring the unloading and/or conveyor process to determine eligibility and whether the load is segregated or commingled.

(b) In addition to the requirements of section 2110 of these regulations, a load of material shall be deemed not eligible for any refund value if any one of the following conditions exist:

(1) There are pieces of broken, densified bales or biscuits of aluminum beverage containers within the load. This does not include cans which have merely been flattened.

(2) Pieces of bales of plastic are found in the load.

(3) The motor vehicle, if any, used to deliver the load has a license plate from any foreign country, or any state other than California, unless all of the following conditions are met:
(A) The person delivering the load is not a noncertified recycler, as defined at Section 14520.6 of the Act; and,

(B) The total refund value of material delivered by any one person per day does not exceed fifty dollars ($50.00); and,

(C) The load is not ineligible pursuant to subsection (b)(1), above.

(c) Once eligibility is determined payment shall be calculated pursuant to section 2535(d), of these regulations.

(d) All out-of-state material, whether labeled with the message required in Section 14561 of the Act or not, and all rejected and line breakage containers are not eligible for any refund value payments.

(e) All rejected and line breakage containers in a load delivered from another recycling center, dropoff or collection program, community service program or curbside program, whether labeled or not with the message required in Section 14561 of the Act, must be excluded from the received weight of the load.

(f) Certified recycling centers shall not receive, accept, or take delivery from any source material that the certified recycling center knows, or should know, was imported into this State, whether labeled with the message required in Section 14561 of the Act or not. All loads containing out-of-state material are not eligible for any refund value payments.

(g) Loads received from consumers shall have rejected or line breakage containers removed from the load or the load is not eligible for any refund value payments.

1. Renumbering and amendment of former section 2112 to new section 2501 filed 10-7-94; operative 10-7-94 pursuant to Government Code section 11346.2(d) (Register 94, No. 40).
2. New subsection (b)(2) and subsection renumbering filed 6-24-99; operative 7-24-99 (Register 99, No. 26).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (d) filed 4-16-2001 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2001, No. 16).
4. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (d) filed 3-29-2004 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2004, No. 14).
5. Amendment of subsection (d) and new subsections (e)-(g) filed 2-23-2006; operative 3-25-2006 (Register 2006, No. 8).
6. Amendment of subsections (e) and (f) and amendment of NOTE filed 1-13-2014 as an emergency; operative 1-13-2014 (Register 2014, No. 3). Emergency amendments shall remain in effect until revised by the director of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery pursuant to section 14599 of the Public Resources Code.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 14530.5, 14536, 14596 and 14599, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 14538, 14539, 14539.5, 14553, 14572(d)(2), 14595, 14595.4, 14595.5, 14596 and 14597, Public Resources Code.

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