RePlanet shuts down 284 recycling centres in California

RePlanet, California’s largest chain of recycling centres, has reportedly stopped operations and closed all of its 284 centres and processing facilities located across California.

According to a statement on the company’s Facebook page, several reasons like “the reduction in State fees, the depressed pricing of recycled aluminium and PET plastics, and the rise in operating costs resulting from minimum wage increases, and required health and workers compensation insurance” made the centres unsustainable.

RePlanet used to call itself one of the biggest and widest-spread recycling networks in California. Over the years, the company processed billions of containers.

On the closure of all its centres and processing facilities, RePlanet expressed regrets for the negative impact that it will bring on the employees, grocer partners, customers, and recycling community at large.

As recently as June, the company’s vice president of business development, Joe Perez said that California consumers deserve the convenience of local recycling centres where they can get their California Redemption Value (CRV) money back. He added that this is the original intention of California’s ‘Bottle Bill’, to help provide incentive to recycle beverage containers and to help keen the environment clean.