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Home My WebLink About0168.093- - February 18, 1~93 'rHE HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL Palo Alto, California Battery Collection Legj,sla_tJ..9..11 Members of the Council: Reoort in Brief • .. ' Staff re~lests that Council approve the attach~d letter to Assembl~an Sher proposing that he introduce legislation to provide for the collection of all household batteries ~hether or not they can be recycled. Discussjon The City of Palo Alto accepts household b.s..t.teries used for all small appliances an!! per-sar.a! accessories (from hearing aids to children's toys} through the City's household haz!'lrdous waste collection program. Howev~r, a large percentage of the batteries are disposed of in the solid \r{aste stream. According to Cali for11ia law, household batteries can be collected curbside or at a recycling drop-eff center only if the collested batteries are recycled~ Currently, recycling is not a .,..-idely available .3.1terna tive for managinq household batteries. The City of Palo Alto would like to be able to accept and cQllect non-recyclabla househ(')ld batteries at the curbside or drop-off center, to better manage their disposal through the household haz-ardous waste program~ Managing batteries in this way would kl?ep them out of the landfill and would capture a larger percent~qe of batteries than cur.rer.tly are received at the household hazardous waste events. A reodific3tion to current reg~lations is needed in order to do so. The attached letter to Asse~blyman Sher requests that he author legislation, to allow battery collectio<l through curbside recycling and drop-off centers in california .... ithout the stipulation that they be recycled. -1- CMR:168~~3 1 " -~~~ --~-~-----~~~~-----~--~~-------------:----:;~-::-.. -, -: _____ "~.~"""",Aio ___ ,~_ ... _ o Recommendation Stc:." f requests that Council approve and authorize the Kayor to execute the attached letter to Assern~lyman She~. Respectfully suh~itted, MICHAEL !!ILLER Deputy Director, Operations Division 1/ C.~ , v;:r."jC ,Cv~ '-" GEORGE BAGDON Actinq Director of Public Works J llf,w2>hVNJ~ (;;;C' FLE!!ING City Manager AttachlDent: Letter CMR:168:93 -2- . , February 23, 1993 The Honorable Byron Sher Member, State Assembly 2136 Capitol B'Jilding Sacramento, CA 94249-000 I Dear Byron: ~ity(~oAlto Offi-"£ if!lle ;\ !!fYr.Yr and City Council This letter requests that you incorporate in the legislation to be ccnsidered during this session a modification to current regulations which would allow collection of non-recyclable household baueries for management through municipal or county household hazardous waste collection programs. Under current California law, curbside recycling collection program, and recycHng drop-off cente.rs can collect hOl.:.sehold batteries that are recyclable wiuiout being required to obtain extensive and costly hazardous waste transporter or faci!ity permits. These regulations, however, do not aIiO'." the collection of batteries that are disposed of "on or ;nto the laod, waler, or air" (i.e., landtiiled or incinerated). According to the Household Battery Waste Management Study prepared by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB), Californians will have purcbased 461 million household batteries in 1992. Eventually all of these balteries will be discarded. Household batteries make up approximately 0.005% by weight of CaJiforni3's municipal sDlid waste stream, yet they represent a very real threat to human health and ihe environment due to the amounts and toxicities of the heavy metais they contain (primarily mp[cury, zinc, lithium and cadmium). According to a CIWB Study, only 74 million (16%) of the estimated 461 million batteries projected to be sold in California are qualified to be recycled. Current regulations do not allow the collection of "non-recyclable' (estimated 387 million) batteries through curb,ide colleClion or drop· off center programs. Therefore, lhe ,'ast majority of them end up being disposed of in municipal landfills or municipal solid waste incineratr.lrS wilh the potential to release heavy metals into the environment. -"'L- .. ~ . P.o,En' Ki2-""iJ Pi\~ ,.4.:(,,", C-,\ -l-l,(" 4:U~ ::.t;'; 4:53:":¥:>31 r-.l>" ~----. '0 • - ',: Assemblyman Sher Page 2 [f Californians are fortunate enough to live in comr.:mnities with convenient and effective ~.ousehold hazardous waste collection programs, a small portion of the battery waste stream is diverted for appropriate management as hazardous waste. To provide for the diversion of household batterie:; from inappropriate dispos::! the regulations that govern the operation of houe'hold battery collection programs must also be effective. As a result, the City or Palo Alto proposes lhat legislation be introduced to remove "non-recyclable" batter[es from the solid waste stream. In order to provide comprehensive managemem of household batteries, the requirement that collected batteries be recyclable should be modified to allow curbside collection and drop-off center coilection of all types of household batteries. Communities could provide a readily accessible and convenjen~ mechanism for collecllng hO'.lsehold battedes. Transportation and disposal requiremenlS in existing 120\1/ would remain, but the disposal requirement should aliow for both recyC-ling and manag:!ment of non-recyclable batteries. A link can be made in the regulations whereby collected, non-recyclable batteries are managed through household hazardous waste collection programs to ensure appropriate waste !!12nagement. With these modifications to existing law, the mechanism would exisl to pro vic comprehensive household battery collection and management through appropriate and environmentally sound hazardous waste technologies be it recycling, hazardous waste land filling , or hazardous waste ine ineration. Your consideration of proposing jegislation would be sin'2erely appreciated. If you need further information regJrding this matter, please conta.ct ~Iichael ~1jller, Depc'y Director, Public Works Oper&tions, (415) 496-6947_ Si:)cerely I JEAN McCOWN Mayor MMIJM:ko •