On February 18, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic Butchko testified before the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of SB 686 – Environment – Extended Producer Responsibility for Batteries and Battery-Containing Products (Battery Stewardship Act) with amendments.
This bill creates a framework to establish more robust battery recycling infrastructure in Maryland, recognizing the significant safety and health concerns of those items remaining principally landfill material.
Counties thank both the advocates and the sponsors for proposing a plan to strengthen battery recycling and retain local autonomy. Counties offered an amendment to ensure that facilities that collect and recycle batteries have adequate fire suppression technology installed.
Already, most household deceives are powered by batteries and when they reach the end of their lifespan, they are often disposed of, potentially creating dangerous situations for communities and county-operated infrastructure. SB 686 seeks to reduce waste and make communities safer by establishing a producer-driven entity focused on either creating or supporting existing battery recycling infrastructure.
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