1. The commissioner is hereby empowered to promulgate rules and regulations governing (a) the circumstances in which deposit initiators, dealers and distributors, individually or collectively, are required to accept the return of empty beverage containers, including beverage containers processed through reverse vending machines and make payment therefor; (b) the sorting of the containers which a deposit initiator or distributor may require of dealers and redemption centers; (c) the collection of returned beverage containers by deposit initiators or distributors, including the party to whom such expense is to be charged, the frequency of such pick ups and the payment for refunds and handling fees thereon; (d) the right of dealers to restrict or limit the number of containers redeemed, the rules for redemption at the dealers' place of business, and the redemption of containers from a beverage for which sales have been discontinued; (e) to issue registrations to persons, firms or corporations which establish redemption centers, subject to applicable provisions of local and state laws, at which redeemers and dealers may return empty beverage containers and receive payment of the refund value of such beverage containers. Such registrations shall be issued at no cost. Should the department require by regulations adopted pursuant to this paragraph that redemption centers must obtain a registration as a condition of operation, any redemption center in business as of March first, two thousand thirteen that previously provided the department with the notification information required by regulations in effect as of such date may continue to operate as if the department had issued such redemption center a registration required by regulations adopted under this paragraph; provided, however, that such redemption center shall provide the department with any other information required by regulations adopted pursuant to this paragraph. The department may, after due notice and opportunity of hearing, pursuant to the provisions of section 71-1709 of this chapter, deny an application or revoke a registration. In determining whether or not to revoke a registration the commissioner shall at a minimum, take into consideration the compliance history of a violator, good faith efforts of a violator to comply, any economic benefit from noncompliance and whether the violation was procedural in nature. The commissioner's determination to revoke a registration is subject to review under article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules; and (f) the operation of mobile redemption centers in order to ensure that to the best extent practicable containers are not proffered for redemption to a deposit initiator or distributor outside of the geographic area where such deposit initiator sells containers and initiates deposits.

2. The department may require a redemption center to obtain a permit, as an alternative to registration if such center is located at the same facility or site as another solid waste management facility otherwise subject to the requirements of title seven of this article or the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.

3. No dealer or distributor, as defined in section 27-1003 of this title, shall be required to obtain a permit to operate a redemption center at the same location as the dealer's or distributor's place of business. Operators of such redemption centers shall receive payment of the refund value of each beverage container from the appropriate deposit initiator or distributor as provided under section 27-1007 of this title.

4. Each dealer and redemption center shall require any person tendering for redemption more than two thousand five hundred containers at one time to such dealer or redemption center to provide such person's name and address and the license plate of the vehicle used to transport the containers, or, in the case of an agent or employee of a not-for-profit corporation, a sales tax exemption certificate. The dealer or redemption center redeeming the beverage containers shall keep the information on file for a minimum of twelve months and provide same to the department upon request.