California Business and Professions Code Section 21608.6

CA Bus & Prof Code § 21608.6 (2017)  

(a) A junk dealer or recycler, as defined in subdivision (f), in this state shall not provide payment for newspaper, as defined in Section 538c of the Penal Code, or for California Redemption Value (CRV) containers unless, in addition to meeting the written record requirements of Sections 21605 and 21606, all of the following requirements are met:

(1) The payment for the newspaper or for the CRV containers is made by check or by other electronic transfer from the junk dealer or recycler to the seller. A recycler, if authorized by regulations adopted pursuant to Division 12.1 (commencing with Section 14500) of the Public Resources Code, may provide payment for CRV containers through a voucher that is immediately redeemable for cash.

(2) The junk dealer or recycler obtains and records a valid, documented address for the seller by obtaining a copy of the valid driver’s license of the seller containing a photograph and an address of the seller, or a copy of a state or federal government-issued identification card containing a photograph and an address of the seller, or other valid identification containing the seller’s address, such as utility bills in the seller’s name. The junk dealer or recycler shall preserve the photograph and the address or the copies obtained pursuant to this paragraph for a period of two years after the date of sale.

(b) The requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall not apply if, during any three-month period commencing on or after the effective date of this section, the junk dealer or recycler completes five or more separate transactions per month with the seller, and in order for the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) to continue to be inapplicable, the seller must continue to complete five or more separate transactions per month with the junk dealer or recycler.

(c) This section shall not apply if, on the date of sale, the junk dealer or recycler has on file or receives all of the following information:

(1) The name, physical business address, and business telephone number of the seller’s business.

(2) The business license number or tax identification number of the seller’s business.

(3) A copy of the valid driver’s license or a copy of a state or federal government-issued identification card containing a photograph and an address of the person delivering newspaper or CRV containers on behalf of the seller to the junk dealer or the recycler.

(d) Any unauthorized disclosure of personal identification information collected from a seller by a junk dealer or recycler is prohibited, and any violation of this prohibition is subject to a civil fine not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000).

(e) This section shall not apply to the payment for newspaper having a value of fifty dollars ($50) or less in a single transaction or CRV containers having a value of one hundred dollars ($100) or less in a single transaction.

(f) This section shall only apply in jurisdictions that offer curbside pickup of materials that include newspaper and CRV containers.

(g) Notwithstanding Section 21605, for purposes of this section, “recycler” means any processor, recycling center, or noncertified recycler, as those terms are defined in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 14502) of Division 12.1 of the Public Resources Code.

(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 733, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2009.)

Last modified: October 25, 2018