8 family members charged in $7.6 million recycling fraud scheme between Arizona, California

8 family members charged in $7.6 million recycling fraud scheme between Arizona, California

The CalRecycle program incentivizes recycling at privately-owned centers with a 5- or 10-cent return on eligible beverage containers, but only material from California is eligible.

Arizona does not have a recycling program that provides redemption value for bottles and cans, according to the statement.

CalRecycle is pursuing legal action against the recycling centers involved in the alleged scheme, per the news release.


When I first read this, I thought it was The Onion.The more I read, though, the more I agree that it's fraud. You'd have no issue if you bought cans of coke in Arizona and drove to Cali on a a trip and recycled them. Not much money there and I'm sure travelers do it all the time.

This is crazy, though. My main question is how did it get to $7 million before someone in charge started scratching their head on this issue? Terrible tracking and compliance processes, imo.

 

This reminds me of a great Seinfeld episode.

 

It appears as though the program operates at a loss. (Like most government programs) If there was a benefit, one would think that more is better.

 

It is really more like the 5 cent deposit on glass bottle program around the country in the 60s and 70s. Return the bottle, get your money back. Back then, though, it was the stores doing the refunding; it was store policy, not government. The pop manufacturers wanted their bottles back. Store refunds 5 cents to customers, coke and Pepsi give the store 5 cents.

This was supposed to operate similarly, but, it’s government. Of course it’s inefficient.

 

Newman

 

Now I wonder if they were committing a crime the whole time.

Well, i mean in addition to illegal use of a mail truck.

 

Which caught on fire and if IIRC, they lied about it

Such a great show

 

They still recycled!
Hard work was involved. Imagine collecting that many recyclables and then transporting them to Cali?
Do they need a job? I'll hire them! That's hard work right there!

 

Well they stole most of the cans. But as I recall they got the idea in the first place from the bottles themselves. If its marked on the bottle, you can return it there.

 

My husband was reading more on this. Thumbs were put on scales, records were wiped to make it look like there was no processing of a set of "whatever." It seems the recycling centers were in on it, too.

I'm from the government, and I"m here to help. Scary words.

 

I remember dumpster diving for 10 cent bottles. In this, CA charges consumers in advance and recycling only gives us our money back.

 

When you think about all of the unprosecuted crimes committed on Seinfeld, it's fitting they all ended up in jail.

 

Some of them are pretty bad too. Poisoning people, cruelty to animals, theft, fraud, impersonation, arson. Etc.