Home » News » Business News » California Recycling Center RePlanet Closes All Locations, Including Santa Clarita
Photo by Matthew Gollop / Pixabay

California Recycling Center RePlanet Closes All Locations, Including Santa Clarita

The largest operator of California recycling centers, RePlanet, has closed all 284 of its centers, including two in Santa Clarita, officials said Wednesday.

RePlanet officials elected to stop operations because of increased business costs and falling prices of recycled aluminum and PET plastic, President David Lawrence said in a statement.

This decision, which resulted in the lay-off of all 750 employees, comes three years after RePlanet closed 191 of its recycling centers and laid off almost 300 employees.

The closures leaves fewer options for Santa Clarita residents to redeem their recyclables, which is especially concerning for those who rely on recycling for income.

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit that studies issues in California’s recycling industry, estimated in a recent report that more than 40 percent of the state’s redemption centers have closed in the last five years.

These closures mean that statewide, California consumers are getting back only about half of their deposits on bottles and cans, according to the report.

As the California Refund Value (CRV) fee applies to all applicable beverage containers for recycling at the time of purchase, this seems to present a major issue when so many refund locations have been annihilated, officials said.

Consumer Watchdog noted that in 8 out of 9 other states that have similar refund systems, beverage retailers are required to take empty containers back in-store in addition to redemption centers.

CRV fees aside, the closures of RePlanet could also present a possible impact on the environment, as officials said it increases the likelihood of more pollutant containers being introduced into circulation in the form of more bottles made of aluminum and polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which often end up in landfills.

People are more likely to either throw their recyclables directly into the garbage or place them in curbside recycling bins, which are often filled with contaminated material that must be discarded, according to officials.

While international routes are still an alternative, other countries such as China, which has bought much of the U.S.’s recyclable material, has become stricter about what kinds of material they will accept.

Environmental advocates have urged states to reform how it subsidizes recycling centers based on the concern that more recyclables will end up in landfills.

Earlier this year, California lawmakers proposed legislation that would require plastic and other single-use materials sold in the state to be either reusable, fully recyclable or compostable by 2030. The bill, AB 1080, passed the Assembly and is currently under consideration in the Senate.


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

California Recycling Center RePlanet Closes All Locations, Including Santa Clarita

11 comments

  1. Yesterday I read this very story on another news site, word for word.
    Since this is directed to SCV residents, why not find out where those
    two sites are and let us in on the story?

  2. This is the first time I’ve agreed with something you’ve posted here.

  3. Where were the 2 Santa Clarita locations? That is important for your readers to know.

  4. REPORTING 101

    Who…………………..RePlanet
    What………………….Going out of business
    When…………………Wedmesday
    Where………………..??????
    Why…………………..increased business costs and falling recycled prices

  5. It took me a minute to Google the two locations. Seems like the reporter could have done this as well. Re-Planet is (was) located at the Albertsons in Saugus on Bouquet and at the Ralphs in Valencia on McBean.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Jade Aubuchon

A Santa Clarita native, Jade has spent her whole life involved in community outreach. After graduating from Learning Post High in 2015, she went on to College of the Canyons to pursue a double major in English and Marketing. Jade spent several years as a ballroom dance performer for a local studio and has performed at public and private events throughout Santa Clarita. As KHTS Co-News Director Jade oversees the KHTS news team, which covers all the latest news impacting Santa Clarita. Along with covering and writing her own news stories, Jade can be heard broadcasting the daily local news every weekday morning and afternoon drive-time twice an hour on KHTS 98.1FM and AM-1220. Jade is also instrumental in reporting on-the-scene local emergencies, covering them on-air and via Facebook Live and YouTube. Another dimension to Jade’s on-air skills and writing are her regular political and celebrity interviews, including her bi-monthly interview with our Congressman Mike Garcia and many other local politicians and community leaders.