New California Battery EPR law

California AB 2440, the Responsible Battery Recycling Act of 2022, was signed into law Sept. 16, 2022. This law repeals and replaces the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act of 2006 and the Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004 on Jan. 1, 2027, and Jan. 1, 2028, respectively. The new extended producer responsibility (EPR) law requires battery producers to create a stewardship organization to manage collection, transportation and recycling of batteries sold throughout the state, and, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, achieve a "minimum recycling efficiency rate of 60% for rechargeable batteries and 70% for primary batteries." CalRecycle must adopt regulations to implement the law no earlier than April 1, 2025.