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Beverage Container Recycling Grant Program (Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28)

Grantor:
Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
Departmental Grant ID:
RBC38 and RBC39
Portal ID:
175272
Status:
Forecasted
Open Date:
June 2026
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The Department of resources Recycling and Recovery offers the Beverage Container Recycling Grant Program pursuant to Section 14581(a)(4) of the Public Resources Code.  The purpose of the grant is to issue up to $1,500,000 annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs to promote increased recycling beverage containers throughout California and reduce beverage container litter in the waste stream.

Description:

CalRecycle is seeking projects that implement new programs or enhance existing programs to provide convenient beverage container recycling opportunities in various locations statewide.  Eligible projects include:

• Multi-family residential dwellings (five units or more).

• Public colleges/universities, non-profit colleges/universities, and public K-12 school districts.

• Curbside Residential Program locations (excluding single stream).

• Community events including, but not limited to, those sponsored by local jurisdictions.

• Parks/recreational areas.

• Purchase of water refill stations, including the installation, education and outreach, or replacement of infrastructure, plumbing, maintenance, additional attachments or modifications.

• Purchase of mobile water trailer bars, including replacement of filters, maintenance, additional attachments or modifications, reusable cups utilized for the water trailer bars, and related educational and outreach activities/materials as eligible expenditures.

• Litter reduction and clean-up along the United States-Mexico border where the waste stream includes beverage containers that will be recycled.

    o Out of State beverage containers collected as part of the litter abatement and clean-up projects cannot be funded under this grant program.    

Ongoing collection programs may include the following activities as a component of the grant project:

• Temporary Community events (i.e., recycling or collection events sponsored by local jurisdictions, Earth Day events).

• Drop-off, Collection Program, or Community Service Program.

• Education and Outreach related to beverage container recycling.

Note: Education activities and/or materials (signage, flyers, curriculum, etc.) related to the beverage container recycling project are capped at 25 percent of the total grant award.

• Funding must have a direct connection to the California Redemption Value (CRV) of beverage containers and the overall program.  If non-CRV items are included in the grant, they are subject to proportional cost.  For example: a three-bin system with composting, paper and CRV recycling, can only be funded at one third of the cost.  A mixed recycling bin will be funded proportionately based on the CRV content of materials collected.

Priority funding will be given to Tribal Entities and applicants with litter abatement projects along the United States-Mexico border.  Applicants who meet the criteria will be given priority and will be considered for funding first.

 

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Individual
  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

• California cities, counties, state agencies, and other local governmental entities.

• Special districts (e.g., recreational park districts).

• Public colleges and universities, and public K-12 school districts.

• Non-profit organizations (except private schools K-12) registered with the federal government under 501(c)3, (c)6, or (c)10 of the Internal Revenue Code.

• Qualifying Tribal Entities.

• Joint Powers Authorities (JPA).

Eligible Geographies:

California cities, counties, state agencies, and other local governmental entities.

Matching Funding Requirement:

N/A

Important Dates

The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
January 2027
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
Two Years Term
Anticipated Open Date
June 2026

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$1,500,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$75,000 – $275,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

Public Resources Code, Division 12.1, Chapter 7, Section 14581(a)(4).

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

CalRecycle staff will review the applications for completeness and eligibility.  Only complete applications will be considered for award.  Applicants must receive a minimum score of 39 points in order to be considered for funding.  Applicants will be evaluated and scored by a CalRecycle review panel based on the approved Scoring Criteria for the Beverage Container Recycling Grant Program, FYs 2026-27 and 2027-28.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
1-916-341-6095, grantassistance@calrecycle.ca.gov

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