BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 488
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Date of Hearing: May 24, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 488 (Williams) - As Amended: April 23, 2013
Policy Committee: Natural
ResourcesVote:6-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill establishes a product stewardship program for
household batteries and requires each producer or organization
to submit a product stewardship plan with specified requirements
and recycling rates to CalRecycle by January 1, 2015.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires a producer or organization to pay a plan review fee
at the time the plan is submitted and specifies that
CalRecycle establish the fee at an amount to cover, but not
exceed, costs associated with reviewing, approving, and
enforcing the plan.
2)Requires a producer or organization to report annually and pay
an annual administrative fee at the time the annual report is
submitted, and specifies that CalRecycle establish the fee at
an amount to cover, but not exceed, costs associated with
reviewing, approving, and enforcing the requirements of the
bill.
3)Authorizes CalRecycle to assess administrative civil penalties
not to exceed $1,000 per day against a wholesaler or retailer
that violates the requirements of the bill, as specified.
4)Exempts specified medical devices from the requirements of the
bill.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Increased costs to CalRecycle of approximately $250,000 to
develop regulations related to the plan, annual reporting
AB 488
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requirements and enforcement. Ongoing costs of implementation
of approximately $400,000 to $500,000 per year.
Most costs are likely recoverable, with the exception of the
initial regulatory costs, through the two fees authorized by
the bill.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. According to the author, more than 150 million
household batteries are sold in the state annually, yet only
about five percent are currently collected for recycling.
This bill requires battery manufacturers to design, fund, and
operate a stewardship program to properly manage batteries
sold in California.
This bill also requires battery manufacturers to increase
collection and recycling 25% by 2019. While 25% is a
significant increase over the current collection, which is
only about five percent, it is substantially lower than the
collection goals of similar programs.
2)Background. In California, household batteries are classified
as universal waste, which include materials that DTSC has
determined are hazardous waste that are ubiquitous and contain
mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, or other substances hazardous
to human and environmental health. Since 2006, universal waste
has been prohibited from disposal in solid waste landfills,
although it is not enforced as evidenced by low recycling
rates.
3)Product stewardship . According to the California Product
Stewardship Council,
product stewardship involves consumers, government agencies,
and product manufacturers sharing the responsibility of
reducing the impact of product waste on public health, the
environment, and the economy. Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) is a strategy to place a shared
responsibility for end-of-life product management on all
entities involved in the product chain, instead of the general
public, while encouraging product design changes that minimize
a negative impact on human health and the environment at every
stage of the product's lifecycle.
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Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081