Beverage containers: recycled glass: market development.

Assembly Member Ransom's proposal to boost California's glass recycling market would triple the maximum per-ton payment available to manufacturers who use recycled glass collected in-state to produce new beverage containers. The measure increases the current $50 per ton cap to $150 per ton through January 2028, maintaining the existing $60 million annual allocation from the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for these market development payments.

The bill extends the program through January 2030, though with modified terms after January 2028. For that final two-year period, the measure authorizes up to $20 million annually for continued market development payments, subject to legislative appropriation. Manufacturers remain eligible for payments only when using glass that is collected, washed, and processed within California to create new beverage containers in the state.

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery retains authority to determine specific payment amounts within the maximum cap based on factors including minimum funding needs for in-state processing and manufacturing operations, while ensuring sustainable distribution of available funds throughout the year. The measure's findings note that California glass manufacturers face cost pressures from foreign competitors who are not subject to the state's recycled content requirements and emissions regulations.