The State of California has amended provisions of the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act related to recycled content in plastic beverage containers by enacting Senate Bill (SB) 633. The bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 18, 2026.
The amendment does not change California’s existing recycled-content targets for plastic beverage containers, which require an average of 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content from 2025 through 2029 and 50% from 2030 onward. However, it introduces new verification, reporting, and transparency requirements intended to strengthen compliance with those targets.
Beginning on March 1, 2028, beverage manufacturers subject to California’s container deposit system will be required to provide proof that the PCR content in their plastic beverage containers has been validated by a third-party certification program approved by California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). The legislation cites the Association of Plastic Recyclers’ Postconsumer Resin Certification Program as one example of an acceptable certification scheme.
The legislation also requires manufacturers of PCR plastics to ensure that any recycled-content validations provided to beverage manufacturers are accurate. Beverage manufacturers will not be held liable for inaccurate validations originating from PCR plastic suppliers if they were unaware of the inaccuracy.
In addition, SB 633 increases the financial penalty for failing to meet California’s recycled-content requirements from $0.20 to $0.30 per pound of virgin plastic used in place of the required amount of recycled plastic.
To improve public transparency, CalRecycle must publish annually, by July 1 of each year, a list of beverage manufacturers and associated brand names, indicate whether they have complied with applicable recycled-content requirements, and provide other compliance-related information deemed appropriate by the department.
The requirements do not apply to refillable plastic beverage containers or to beverage manufacturers that sell or transfer 16 million or fewer plastic beverage containers in California during the reporting year.
Reference
State of California (September 18, 2026). “Senate Bill No. 633 (Chapter 315): An act to amend Section 14547 of, and to amend, repeal, and add Section 14549.3 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to beverage containers.” California Legislative Information
