Today, Governor Newsom signed a sweeping package of climate measures into law, including all three of RethinkWaste’s co-sponsored bills from the 2021-2022 legislation session. The three bills are:
- AB 1985 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Organic waste: recovered organic waste product procurement targets.
- AB 2440 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Responsible Battery Recycling Act of 2022.
- SB 1215 by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) – Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003: covered battery-embedded products.
AB 1985 will create a phase in of two additional years for SB 1383 procurement requirements. SB 1215 and AB 2440 are two battery bills that will create a more comprehensive strategy to tackle household batteries and battery-embedded products. Specifically, SB 1215 expands the existing Electronic Waste Law to include battery-embedded products, while AB 2440 will create a producer responsibility program for loose batteries where manufacturers will fund and create a takeback program for their products.
These three bills are major wins for California and we’re really excited about the signing of these three bills, especially the two battery bills – an issue RethinkWaste has been working on for over three years.
Learn more about proper battery disposal in our area by visiting our battery page: RethinkBatteries.org.