As the world becomes increasingly battery-powered, it will be easier for Washington state residents to safely recycle batteries that have lost their juice.
Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign into law new rules requiring all producers of batteries and battery-containing products sold in the state to fund a program for collecting and recycling batteries.
The new rules:
- Require battery producers to participate in the collection of smaller batteries used in consumer electronics by 2027.
- By 2029, the collection system would expand to include larger batteries.
- Sets recycling targets of at least 60% for rechargeable batteries and at least 70% for non-rechargeable batteries.
- Requires producers to pay for public education and outreach.
Washington joins nine states and Washington, D.C., in implementing recycling programs funded by battery producers.
The state currently offers a program that’s voluntarily funded by producers, and residents are instructed to take batteries to recycling drop-off locations. The new effort will expand the number of recycling sites.
“Consumers won’t have to be battery sorters and differentiate between certain types of batteries and determining what has to go where. This will help streamline the battery experience,” said Leo Raudys, CEO of Call2Recycle, a nonprofit providing battery recycling nationwide.
If batteries are put in the trash, they can start fires and leak toxic chemicals into the water and soil. There’s also increasing demand for the valuable metals and minerals in batteries, such as lithium and cobalt.
The Rechargeable Battery Association, the Association of Washington Business, and the Independent Business Association testified against the legislation. Arguments against the bill included a call for adding a recycling fee for consumers, less oversight of producers, and a simplification of the bill.
The Washington Association of County Solid Waste Managers, multiple city and county waste agencies, the nonprofit Zero Waste Washington and others spoke in support of the bill.
