Starting this year, shoppers in California will encounter a new charge when purchasing items with nonremovable batteries—ranging from power tools to playful greeting cards. This 1.5% fee, capped at $15, is part of an expanded recycling initiative aimed at addressing the burgeoning issue of battery waste.
The legislative change stems from Senate Bill 1215, introduced by former state Senator Josh Newman, a Democrat representing parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Signed into law in 2022, the bill requires consumers to pay this surcharge on any product featuring an embedded battery, regardless of its rechargeability.
California has a history of leading electronic waste management. In 2003, it introduced a fee on computer monitors and TVs, which successfully diverted hazardous materials from landfills. However, the landscape of electronic waste has shifted dramatically over the past two decades.
As technology permeates daily life, lithium-ion batteries have become prevalent in gadgets like smartphones, earbuds, and even toys. Joe La Mariana, executive director of RethinkWaste, which manages waste services for several cities in San Mateo County, commented, “These things are everywhere. They’re ubiquitous.”
While these batteries power our modern conveniences, they pose significant risks under certain conditions. In recycling and waste facilities, lithium-ion batteries can ignite or even explode, leading to costly and dangerous fires.
Doug Kobold, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council, highlighted the importance of the fee, stating, “Paying a small check‑stand fee to fund proper collection is far cheaper than million‑dollar fires, higher insurance premiums, and rate hikes passed back to communities.”
A Growing Problem
In 2016, the Shoreway Environmental Center recycling facility in San Carlos, San Mateo County, suffered a significant fire sparked by a lithium-ion battery. The blaze resulted in $8.5 million in damages and a four-month closure. Following this incident, the facility’s insurance premium soared from $180,000 to $3.2 million annually, according to La Mariana, with ratepayers absorbing the cost.
This incident prompted waste management agencies to seek solutions for the increasing threat of battery fires. As La Mariana noted, “Being a publicly owned facility, every bit of that property is owned and paid for by our 430,000 ratepayers.”
Battery fires are a prevalent hazard in waste and recycling facilities, often underreported due to concerns about oversight and insurance premiums. These fires can occur anywhere; for instance, last year, an electric scooter fire in a Los Angeles apartment hospitalized two young girls. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration reports nearly two battery fires on U.S. flights weekly.
Clean Energy Shift Brings Battery Hazards
This new fee is part of California’s broader strategy to manage the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries. Notably, single-use plastic vapes are exempt from the law due to concerns about handling nicotine, a hazardous material, as explained by Nick Lapis from Californians Against Waste.
Single-use vapes are a rapidly growing source of battery waste. “If you imagine somebody’s a pack a day smoker, that means every single day they’re throwing out a device with a lithium-ion battery,” Lapis explained. Efforts are underway to address this issue, with Assembly Bill 762 proposing a ban on single-use plastic vapes.
Large-scale lithium-ion batteries present unique challenges. During recent fires in Los Angeles, numerous batteries, including those from electric vehicles, were abandoned, necessitating a cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency. In a separate incident, a fire at a battery storage site in Moss Landing led to evacuations and lingering health concerns among residents.
In response, Governor Gavin Newsom established a state collaborative to explore safe storage solutions. New CalFire regulations for battery storage systems will also come into effect this year.
Proper disposal methods for batteries and their components are crucial as California moves towards renewable energy, stressed Meg Slattery, a scientist with Earthjustice. “The next question becomes … where are we sourcing materials, and thinking through what happens to this when we’re not using it anymore, which I think we’re not traditionally great at thinking about as a society,” she stated.
Alejandra Reyes-Velarde writes for CalMatters.
Original Story at www.latimes.com