BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  SB 1100|
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                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 1100
          Author:   Corbett (D)
          Amended:  6/15/10
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE ENV. QUALITY COMMITTEE  :  4-2, 4/5/10
          AYES:  Simitian, Corbett, Lowenthal, Pavley
          NOES:  Runner, Strickland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Hancock

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  6-3, 5/3/10
          AYES:  Kehoe, Corbett, Leno, Price, Wolk, Yee
          NOES:  Cox, Walters, Wyland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Alquist, Denham

           SENATE FLOOR  :  23-10, 6/3/10
          AYES:  Alquist, Calderon, Cedillo, Corbett, Correa,  
            DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Florez, Hancock, Kehoe, Leno, Liu,  
            Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley,  
            Romero, Simitian, Steinberg, Wolk, Wright, Yee
          NOES:  Aanestad, Ashburn, Cogdill, Denham, Dutton, Huff,  
            Runner, Strickland, Walters, Wyland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Cox, Harman, Hollingsworth, Price,  
            Wiggins, Vacancy, Vacancy

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  Not available


           SUBJECT  :    Product stewardship:  household batteries

           SOURCE  :     StopWaste.Org

                                                           CONTINUED





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           DIGEST  :    This bill requires producers of household  
          batteries to institute programs to manage used household  
          batteries by September 30, 2011.  This bill requires  
          battery producers to set up and finance programs to take  
          back used batteries and recycle or properly dispose of  
          them.  This bill sets out target collection rates of 25  
          percent by 2014 and 45 percent by 2016.  This bill requires  
          the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (DRRR)  
          to review and approve the producers' plans.  Producers are  
          required to pay regulatory fees to DRRR.

           Assembly Amendments  add batteries that are not easily  
          removed from a product, other than by a manufacturer, to be  
          covered by this bill, and move the timeline requirements  
          for the establishment of collection rates.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1. Prohibits the disposal of some common or "universal"  
             wastes in solid waste landfills.  Universal wastes are  
             hazardous wastes that are generated by a wide variety of  
             sources that contain mercury, lead, cadmium, copper and  
             other substances hazardous to human and environmental  
             health.  Examples of these wastes are household  
             batteries, fluorescent tubes, and some electronic  
             devices.

          2. Pursuant to the Dry Cell Battery Management Act  
             establishes requirements for the production and labeling  
             of consumer products with dry cell batteries and sets  
             limits for the amount of mercury in those batteries. 

          3. Pursuant to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act  
             establishes a mandatory take-back program for  
             rechargeable batteries at retail locations.

          4. Pursuant to the Mercury Thermostat Collection Act of  
             2008 requires manufacturers of mercury-added thermostats  
             sold in this state before January 1, 2006, to establish  
             and maintain a collection, transportation, recycling,  
             and disposal program for out-of-service mercury-added  







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             thermostats.

          This bill: 

          1. Requires, by September 30, 2011, a producer or the  
             product stewardship organization created by one or more  
             producers of household batteries to develop and submit,  
             in consultation with stakeholders, a product stewardship  
             plan (plan) to DRRR.

          2. Allows a registered hazardous waste transporter to elect  
             to submit a household battery stewardship plan to DRRR  
             on behalf of one or more producers and requires a  
             hazardous waste transporter making that election to  
             comply with the provisions applicable to a household  
             battery stewardship organization.

          3. Establishes requirements for the elements of the plan  
             that describe how it will institute, implement, finance,  
             and oversee a program to manage household batteries to  
             achieve the collection rates below.

          4. Establishes collection rates for household batteries of  
             25 percent by January 1, 2014, and 45 percent by January  
             1, 2016, with a program target of 95 percent.

          5. Requires DRRR to review the plans and deem them complete  
             or incomplete within 45 days and establishes a procedure  
             for addressing deficiencies.

          6. Requires producers, on or before April 1, 2013, to  
             submit an annual report describing implementation of the  
             plan including sales data from the previous calendar  
             year.

          7. Requires DRRR, on or before July 1, 2012, and annually  
             thereafter to list on its Web site a list of the brands  
             of household batteries that are in compliance.

          8. Prohibits the sale of household batteries in California  
             unless the producer has submitted a plan that has been  
             deemed complete, as specified.

          9. Requires producers to pay to DRRR the full costs of  







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             reviewing and acting on the plan.

          10.Establishes the Household Battery Stewardship Account  
             and the Household Battery Stewardship Penalty Subaccount  
             to receive the administrative fees and penalties and  
             specifies that these funds are available for program  
             implementation upon appropriation by the Legislature.

          11.Establishes a process to determine compliance with the  
             bill and issuance of related penalties.

          12.Makes extensive findings and declarations related to the  
             management of household batteries. 

           Comments
           
          According to the author's office, this bill will help local  
          governments' bottom lines by saving taxpayer money used to  
          manage toxic battery waste.  It will also create green jobs  
          recycling and collecting batteries.  In addition, battery  
          stewardship will help California's environment by ensuring  
          that battery waste is properly managed.  According to a  
          California report, more than 500 million batteries are sold  
          each year in California and that number is expected to  
          rise.  Today, it is estimated that only one-half of one  
          percent of used batteries are recycled through local  
          government household hazardous waste programs. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

          1. Annual costs to Calrecycle of approximately $275,000 to  
             review stewardship plans and plan updates, enforce  
             bill's provisions, publicize plans and collection rates,  
             and conduct education and outreach. (Integrated Waste  
             Management Fund (IWMF)) 

          2. Annual fee revenue to Calrecycle of approximately  
             $275,000, an amount roughly equivalent to Calrecycle's  
             costs to implement this bill.  (IWMF) 

          3. Annual penalty revenue to Calrecycle of an unknown  







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             amount.  (IWMF) 

          4. Annual expenditures to Calrecycle of an unknown amount,  
             but no more than the amount of penalty revenue  
             collected, for incentives to increase household battery  
             recycling and collection.  (IWMA) 

           SUPPORT  :   (per Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic  
          Materials Committee analysis)

          StopWaste.Org (Alameda County) (source)
          AkkuSer 
          Alameda County Waste Management 
          Association of Bay Area Governments 
          California Association of Environmental Health  
          Administrators 
          California League of Conservation Voters 
          California Product Stewardship Council 
          California Professional Firefighters 
          California Resource Recovery Association 
          California Retailers Association 
          California State Association of Counties 
          Californians Against Waste 
          Castro Valley Sanitary District 
          Center for Environmental Health 
          Central Contra Costa Sanitary District 
          Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority 
          City and County of San Francisco 
           Cities of Burbank, Encinitas, Indian Wells, Needles, Palo  
            Alto, Riverside, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz,  
            Santa Monica, Torrance, and Ventura 
           Clean Water Action Coalition for Clean Air 
           Counties of Los Angeles, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, San  
            Bernardino, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, and Tuolumne 
           Del Norte Solid Waste Authority 
           Environment California 
           Humboldt Waste Management Authority 
           Kinsbursky Brothers 
           Marin County Hazardous and Solid Waste Management Joint  
            Powers Authority 
           Marin Sanitary Service 
           Napa Recycling & Waste Services 
           Natural Resources Defense Council 
          Planning and Conservation League 







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          Raw Materials Company Inc. 
          Recology 
          Regional Council of Rural Counties 
          Republic 
          Sierra Club 
          Solid Waste Association of North America 
          Sonoma County Waste Management Agency 

           OPPOSITION  :    (per Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic  
          Materials Committee analysis)

          Advanced Medical Technology Association
          Cal-Tax
          California Chamber of Commerce
          California Manufacturers and Technology Association
          Consumer Specialty Products Association
          Grocery Manufacturers of America
          National Electrical Manufacturers Association
          PhRMA
          TechAmerica

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    Supporters generally contend that  
          a product stewardship approach to managing household  
          batteries provides the best option as costs would be  
          shifted from local governments and taxpayers and be  
          internalized in the price of the product and, in turn drive  
          improvements in product design. 

           ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION  :    Opponents argue that there is  
          no need for a program to manage household batteries because  
          of their relatively small volume compared to the total  
          amount of solid waste disposed as well as the lack of  
          enviromental justification that they cause problems when  
          disposed.  They also cite the high costs for end-of-life  
          management that would be paid by consumers.


          TSM:mw  8/31/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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