California Refund Value is a fee paid on purchases of certain recyclable beverage containers in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The consumer pays CRV on the purchase of beverages with aluminum, plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

, glass

Glass

Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...

, and bimetal

Bimetal

Bimetal refers to an object that is composed of two separate metals joined together. Instead of being a mixture of two or more metals, like alloys, bimetallic objects consist of layers of different metals...

 containers and can be reimbursed if the containers are brought to a recycling center. The symbol on beverage containers eligible for reimbursement is "CA CRV".

The charge for California Refund Value (CRV) is not a deposit, but a fee imposed on the distributor of the beverage. The fee is passed along to the retailer and to the consumer. Although separately stated, the fee is subject to tax as part of the taxable selling price of the beverage. (http://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub53a.pdf)

California Redemption Value is easily confused with California Refund Value, which is the amount recycling centers pay to consumers in exchange for empty bottles and cans. This discrepancy is usually unimportant because the redemption (or deposit) value is usually the same as the refund value, although they are different at times. The initialism "CRV" is often used to denote either.

Types of beverages

CRV is paid on the following types of beverages:

• Carbonated
  Carbonated water
  Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
  
   and noncarbonated water
  Water
  Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
  
  
• Carbonated and noncarbonated soft drink
  Soft drink
  A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
  
  s and sport drinks
• Coffee
  Coffee
  Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
  
   and tea
  Tea
  Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
  
   drinks
• Beer
  Beer
  Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
  
   and other malt beverage
  Malt beverage
  Malt beverage is an American term for both alcohol containing and non-alcoholic fermented beverages, in which the primary ingredient is the grain, or seed of the barley plant, which has been allowed to sprout in a traditional way called slightly before it is processed...
  
  s
• 100% fruit juice in containers smaller than 46 fl oz.

CRV is not paid on the following:

• Milk
  Milk
  Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
  
  , white or flavored
• Medical food
  Medical food
  Medical foods are foods that are specially formulated and intended for the dietary management of a disease that has distinctive nutritional needs that cannot be met by normal diet alone...
  
  
• Infant formula
  Infant formula
  Infant formula is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder or liquid . The U.S...
  
  
• Wine
  Wine
  Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
  
  
• Distilled spirits
• 100% fruit juice in containers 46 fl oz or more
• 100% vegetable juice
  Vegetable juice
  Vegetable juice is a drink made primarily of blended vegetables. Vegetable juice is often mixed with fruits such as tomatoes or grapes to improve flavor...
  
   in containers more than 16 fl oz
• Products not in liquid or "ready to drink" form
• Products not intended for human consumption
• Containers not made of glass, metal, or plastic