Bill to Establish a Statewide Battery Recycling Program Advances in Committee

Sacramento, Calif. — A bill to create a statewide collection and recycling program at California retailers for consumer batteries passed the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality on Monday. SB 289, Better Battery Recycling and Fire Risk Reduction, authored by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), passed by a 5-2 vote.

The legislation will allow consumers to dispose of their batteries safely and easily by requiring free collection bins at retail locations across the state. The program will make battery recycling more accessible and encourage consumers to stop discarding batteries in the trash. 

Because of the hazardous metals and corrosive materials that batteries contain, California classifies batteries as hazardous waste and bans them from solid waste landfills. When improperly discarded, batteries pose serious fire, health and safety hazards that disrupt our waste stream and poison our environment. 

“An estimated 75-92% of lithium-ion batteries are disposed of improperly,” said Senator Newman. “The influx of these batteries into our waste stream has resulted in an alarming number of fires in our material recovery facilities, waste collection trucks, and landfills – fires that pose serious toxic threats to the health and safety of workers, firefighters and the surrounding community.”

A more convenient and efficient system for battery collection and sorting will provide enhanced opportunities for the recycling and reuse of the valuable and finite minerals inside the batteries, reduce toxic environmental impacts and spur economic growth.

Select retailers across the state will have until June 30, 2025 to set up freely accessible collection bins to accept common household batteries. SB 289 requires the producers of batteries and product-embedded batteries sold in California to develop, finance and implement this program in collaboration with CalRecycle to recover and recycle their products.

To schedule an interview with Senator Newman, contact Alina Evans at (916) 651-4526.

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State Senator Josh Newman represents the 29th Senate District, which is comprised of portions of Los Angeles County, Orange County and San Bernardino County. The 29th District includes all or parts of the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Chino Hills, City of Industry, Cypress, Diamond Bar, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, Rowland Heights, Stanton, Walnut, West Covina and Yorba Linda. Senator Newman is a former United States Army officer, business person, and veterans’ advocate, and lives in Fullerton with his wife and daughter.