PACIFIC BEACH — The white trailer, bins for cans and bottles visible in area grocer parking lots — relied on by many locals for recycling — were almost a thing of the past when the mobile recycling program was nearly forced to close due to a lack of funding from the state’s Cal Recycle program. The owner of Pacific Beach Mobile Recycling (PBMR), Robyn Faulkner, announced she would have to close the business Dec. 15, but she then received funding from Cal Recycle — money owed to her for handling fees — which enabled her to remain in business. She has owned the company for seven years and managed it for seven years prior to that. Francois Auffret lives two blocks from Albertsons with his family. He appreciates the convenience of having a location so close to him, he said as he recycled countless glass beverage containers that he and his family had saved over time. It would be an inconvenience for them not to have the accessible location, he said. Every grocery store that grosses $2 million per year and sells beverages and perishable foods is required by law to have recycling within five blocks of their store, Faulkner said. Amy Norris, spokeswoman for Cal Recycle, said that the economy has driven up the rate at which the public is returning bottles and the first priority is to pay the consumers who are recycling. However, as more bottles were returned, more funds were distributed and there was not enough money left to pay out handling fees to recycling center operators. Faulkner was not the only business affected by the shortage of funds, Norris said. Without these handling fees, recyclers would not be able to operate in convenient locations for consumers and if it was not convenient for consumers, the recycling program would not be effective. California is a leader in recycling and the beverage-recycling program has been in effect for more than 20 years, Norris said. In July 2009, payments to handlers such as PBMR were reduced by 85 percent, and around November 2009, payments were completely stopped due to a lack of state funding, Norris said. Faulkner can receive nearly $7,000 per month from the state in handling fees depending on the season, she said. Summer months are the busiest. State legislation passed in March authorized the state to pay handling fees owed from January to June. The current delays in payment, however, are a seasonal issue, Norris said. PACIFIC BEACH MOBILE RECYCLING Henry’s Marketplace: 1260 Garnet Ave., Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CVS: 4445 Mission Blvd., on Sundays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Albertsons: 730 Turquoise St., Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PHONE: (619) 249 -7827 RECYCLING FACTS In 2009, Californians recycled an average of 47,262,773 beverage containers each day. This totals 17.3 billion beverage containers for the year. By recycling these beverage containers, California recyclers saved resources and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 702,301 Metric Tons Carbon Equivalent (MTCE). This is equivalent to reducing oil consumption by 7.7 million barrels or removing 658,992 passenger cars from roadways for a year. For more information visit www.calrecycle.ca.gov. — Courtesy of Cal Recycle