SB 372 Summary

• Establishes the Beverage Container Recycling Program effective January 1, 2024, replacing the existing California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act with new governance structure centered on a beverage container stewardship organization composed of distributors.

• Requires distributors to form a certified stewardship organization that develops and implements a plan for beverage container recycling, establishes stewardship fees on distributors, manages convenience zones, and coordinates incentive payments to recycling centers.

• Expands beverages subject to the program to include wine, distilled spirits, and distilled spirit coolers, while maintaining the minimum refund value of five cents ($0.05) for containers 24 fluid ounces or less and ten cents ($0.10) for larger containers.

• Increases the definition of "supermarket" from $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 in gross annual sales and temporarily increases exemptions for convenience zones from 35% to 50% until December 31, 2023.

• Requires the stewardship organization to use unredeemed refund values to fund program administration, curbside collection programs, and recycling improvements, with the organization retaining these funds rather than the state.