“If they’ve already been redeemed within California, why are they not in the possession of the state of CA?”
My guess would be that the State does not, itself, recycle the bottles, but sells them in bulk to someone who promises to do so. That may have been part of the scam.
Good grief, can anyone tell me where I can get money for empty cans and bottles? I’m pretty sure WV doesn’t have such a place. I throw out a huge bag of empty bottles every week. No, not liquor bottles. Water & fruit juice.