Pennsylvania associations push for battery safety bill

The Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association (PWIA) and the Keystone Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) chapter have expressed support for a bill passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would create an extended producer responsibility (EPR) system for portable lithium-ion batteries.

The two groups say House Bill 2241 would help tackle the "growing epidemic" of fires caused by the improper disposal of rechargeable lithium batteries in recycling containers and trash bags.

According to the PWIA, HB 2241 was passed by the Pennsylvania House in July and currently is under review in the Pennsylvania Senate.

The bill’s opening text states its purpose as “providing for portable battery stewardship and establishing requirements for battery stewardship plans,” including “imposing duties on the Department of Environmental Protection [and] imposing penalties.”

The 38-page bill refers to both product circularity and public safety reasons for supporting an EPR program for lithium-ion batteries.

“It is in the public interest of the residents of this commonwealth to encourage the recovery and reuse of materials, including metals, that replace the output of mining and other extractive industries,” HB 2241 reads.

On the safety front, the proposed legislation reads, “Ensuring the proper handling, recycling and end-of-life management of used batteries prevents the release of toxic materials into the environment and removes materials from the waste stream that, if mishandled, may present safety concerns to workers, including by igniting fires at solid waste-handling facilities.”

The authors of the bill also indicate Pennsylvania can learn how to establish a system by studying EPR setups in other parts of the world.

“Jurisdictions around the world have successfully implemented battery stewardship laws that have helped address the challenges posed by the end-of-life management of batteries,” the bill says.

A portion of the PWIA website is devoted to the proper disposal and handling of end-of-life batteries.

“Pennsylvania can address the deadly fires caused by rechargeable batteries by passing HB 2241 to stop battery-related fires before they ever start," the PWIA says. "There is no time to waste.”