Senate Bill 1013, passed last year by the California legislature, added wine and spirits containers to California's recycling program beginning January 1, 2024. In anticipation of that day, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), California’s agency administering the program, has begun educating members of the wine and spirits industry about how the program will affect them. 

Here are the highlights: 

Registration. Companies that bottle, import, or sell wine and spirits to be offered for sale in California must register with CalRecycle before January 1, 2024. CalRecycle recommends registering as soon as possible. 

Labeling. A California redemption statement will be required on wine and spirits labels for sale in California. Wine and spirits containers will be recycled in California beginning January 1, 2024, but the law allows a grace period before redemption labeling is mandatory. Here are the dates you need to know: 

• The redemption statement may appear on wine and spirits for sale at retail in California beginning January 1, 2024 to indicate to consumers that the container is recyclable. However, wine and spirits sold in California before January 1 must not show a redemption statement, as the program does not start until January 1st. 
• The redemption statement must appear on wine and spirits containers sold in California beginning July 1, 2025. 

When do you need to revise labels to comply with these requirements? Each winery should decide by considering these target dates, taking into account the winery's bottling schedules, bottle-aging protocols, and anticipated release dates. 

Reporting. Reporting requirements also go into effect next year. 

• Processing fees, required to offset the costs of recycling, must be submitted by bottlers of wine or spirits. Wineries that use third-party bottling services may agree with the bottler to assume this responsibility. The first report is due March 10, 2024. 
• Fees to cover consumer refunds (called CRV fees) must also be collected and remitted by companies that sell redeemable containers to California retailers or consumers. Wineries need to start collecting the CRV fees on January 1, 2024, and the first report is due February 28, 2024. 

There is much more to understand beyond these highlights. For more information, check out these links on CalRecycle's website: 

Info for members of the wine and spirits industry: https://calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/BevDistman/
Labeling requirements: https://calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/BevDistMan/Labeling/
Registration: https://calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/BevDistMan/Registration/
FAQs: https://calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/BevDistMan/FAQ/ 

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