California's Catalina Island gets CRV redemption access

The city of Avalon, California, has partnered with Olyns, based in Santa Clara, California, to launch the state’s first municipality-sponsored reverse vending kiosk.

Avalon is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island, located approximately 22 miles off the coast of Southern California. With a permanent population of roughly 4,000 residents, the city receives more than 1 million visitors annually.

RELATED: Olyns Cube delivers incentives and convenience for bottle recycling

The Olyns Cube, a compact, artificial intelligence- (AI-) powered recycling machine, provides Catalina Island residents and visitors with convenient redemption of California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers.

The Cube on Catalina Island is located at the front entrance of Vons grocery store, which has donated the space and is covering the Cube’s electricity costs, Olyns says in a news release. The city of Avalon provided funding for the Cube.

Catalina Island residents previously had to travel to the mainland to redeem CRV containers. The installation of the Cube addresses this longstanding gap in redemption access and also offers a new way for Avalon’s businesses to connect with the community and visitors through its built-in 55-inch digital screen, which displays local advertising. This media revenue helps fund the Cube’s operations, creating a financially sustainable model that supports recycling access while boosting local commerce, according to Olyns.

Avalon is the first municipality in the U.S. to sponsor an Olyns Cube, a role traditionally filled by major retailers. It’s also the first island location for the company’s AI-powered recycling technology and its first CRV redemption Cube in Southern California, helping to kickstart Olyns’ broader expansion across California.

Olyns currently operates more than 60 Cubes across Northern California at leading retail locations such as Safeway and Savemart and says it is on track to expand to more than 300 Cubes by the end of 2025. The company received Recycling Innovation Grants (RIG) from CalRecycle in 2024, which it says further validates its leadership in scalable, technology-forward recycling solutions.

“This is a cost-effective way for our city to expand recycling access for Catalina Island residents,” says Avalon Mayor Ann Marshall. “We’re proud to be the first municipality in the U.S. to bring this innovative solution to our community. After two decades without local bottle deposit redemption, we’re pleased to restore that access for our residents.”

Powered by AI and built for efficiency, Olyns says the Cube automatically sorts containers into separate bins for plastic, aluminum and glass at the point of deposit, reducing contamination and enabling a 99 percent material recovery rate. This helps divert plastic from landfills and the environment while boosting the supply of high-quality recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic and advancing circularity in consumer packaging.

CR&R Environmental Services, headquartered in Stanton, California, has been contracted to service the Cube, ensuring regular and efficient collection of materials, Olyns says.

“This is just the beginning of our Southern California rollout—and Avalon is leading the way,” says Philip Stanger, CEO and co-founder of Olyns. “With hundreds more Cubes planned across the state, we’re building the next generation of recycling infrastructure: smart, scalable and ready for every community. This partnership shows how local governments can play a pivotal role in expanding access—and we’re excited to scale this model statewide.”