Section 14552.5.

(a) The department shall supply all certified processors with a standardized rejection form that shall include, but not be limited to, the names of the parties rejecting the postfilled beverage container material, the date of the rejections, the reasons for the rejections, the amount of rejected material, and a detailed accounting of the steps taken by the processor and container manufacturer to avert landfilling or disposal of the material, as required by subdivision (c) of Section 14552.51.

(b) Every container manufacturer shall fill out the standardized rejection form specified in subdivision (a) whenever that container manufacturer rejects a load of redeemed beverage container materials physically delivered to the manufacturer's place of business and offered for sale by a certified processor. The rejection form shall be filled out by the container manufacturer at the time of the rejection and immediately given to the certified processor for submittal to the department. Any container manufacturer who refuses to fill out the standardized rejection form required by this subdivision is in violation of this division and is subject to the fines and penalties in Sections 14591 and 14591.1.

(c) If a processor has made a good faith effort, as determined by the department, to locate a willing purchaser and is unsuccessful, the processor may fill out the standardized rejection form specified in subdivision (a) and submit it to the department. The processor rejection form shall include, but is not limited to, the name of the processor, the container manufacturers and other potential purchasers contacted, a detailed accounting of the methods used to contact the potential buyers, the date of the rejections, the reasons given for the rejections, the amount of postfilled beverage container material rejected, and any other steps taken to avert landfilling or disposal of the material.

(d) If a container manufacturer rejects a load of postfilled containers by telephone, written correspondence of any kind, or other similar method, the container manufacturer shall, in a manner prescribed by the department, keep accurate logbooks of the offer of loads by the certified processor, and make that logbook available for inspection by the department upon demand. The logbook shall contain, but is not limited to, the same information required in the rejection form pursuant to subdivision (a).

(e) The standardized rejection form specified in subdivision (a) shall be submitted to the department by the certified processor with the written request to dispose of the redeemed material submitted pursuant to Section 14552.51. This material shall not be disposed of without a written authorization to do so by the department pursuant to Section 14552.51.

(f) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to lessen certified processors' and container manufacturers' responsibilities relating to beverage container recycling, or diminish in any way the department's authority to carry out the intent and goals of this division.

(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 183, Sec. 291. Effective January 1, 2005.)