The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA),
Silver Spring, Maryland, supports legislation to create a recycling program for
lithium-ion batteries in California under AB 1509, the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire
Prevention Act. SWANA submitted a letter to the state’s Senate Environmental
Quality Committee explaining the need for action prior to its hearing on the
proposed legislation July 3.
The
increased frequency of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries has resulted in
damage to facilities, endangered the lives of workers and first responders, and
challenged the viability of waste and recycling operations due to financial
pressures.
Lithium-ion
batteries are already banned from disposal in California, but California
residents must have the opportunity to properly recycle these batteries. This
bill will address that need.
“We
are very pleased to support our California chapter’s efforts to get AB 1509
passed. SWANA has been raising concerns about the dangers posed by the
improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries for several years and supports
common sense legislation and regulation to reduce the risks to our workers and
facilities,” says David Biderman, CEO and executive director of SWANA. “These
batteries are causing fires at waste and recycling facilities that are
disrupting operations and causing economic harm.”
The
negative effects of lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream are already being
felt throughout the state. Shoreway Recycling Center, San Mateo County,
California, suffered a massive fire in 2016, leading to millions of dollars in
damage and a disruption to recycling in the community. For every large fire
that makes the news, there are many smaller fires occurring at these
facilities. The threat of fires has led to an unsustainable rise in insurance
costs for recycling facilities in the state.
The
burden of safely managing these batteries when their service lives are over has
fallen disproportionately on the solid waste industry. The passage of AB 1509
will protect workers, support recycling infrastructure and ensure that
manufacturers and retailers share responsibility for the safe handling and
recycling of their products.