New Rechargeable Battery Take Back Law In NYS
Governor Paterson recently signed a new law requiring manufacturers to take back and recycle rechargeable batteries. The program (applicable to NYS businesses) is manufacturer-funded, and is a great compliment to the existing Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act. Producers of electronics and products containing rechargeable batteries will be required to establish recycling collection programs at no cost to consumers or taxpayers.
Historically (and still the case in many states), manufactures have little to no responsibility for the damage that is done to our environment as a result of the improper disposal of end of life electronics. Due to increased pressure from various eco-friendly groups, this law extends the responsibility of these electronics manufactures to include the entire life cycle of the products they put on the market, including the responsible and environmentally safe disposal.
The majority of rechargeable batteries contain toxic metals, that when disposed of improperly contaminates the soil and pollutes our atmosphere when incinerated. The rechargeable batteries covered by this law include a number of different types of batteries designed to be recharged; nickel cadmium, sealed lead, lithium ion, nickel metal hydride and any other rechargeable batteries weighing less than 25 pounds. This law does not cover vehicle batteries or non-rechargeable batteries such as the common alkaline batteries.
As a result of this new law, manufacturers of rechargeable batteries will be required to not only finance the collection and recycling of the batteries, but also finance the advertising of these programs, and provide proper reporting of the program to the NYS Department of Environmental conservation. Consumers will be able to recycle their rechargeable batteries during normal business hours at any retail locations that sell the batteries or products that contain them.