Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California laws requiring makers of medium-format batteries to join stewardship programs and setting a state process for landfill heat incidents. The package also adds restrictions on nitrous oxide container sales and updates bottle-bill rules.
SB 501 expands the Responsible Battery Recycling Act of 2022 to medium-format batteries, including those used in e-bikes and lawn equipment, bringing their makers into product-stewardship programs. Damaged or improperly discarded batteries can ignite in garbage trucks, transfer stations and recycling facilities.
AB 28 follows elevated subsurface temperatures at the closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill, a problem ongoing since 2022 and affecting regulators and nearby residents. It lets CalRecycle order corrective-action plans and fine certain violations up to $100,000, directs CalEPA to form a multiagency group, and adds monitoring and community-impact requirements. SB 936 adds restrictions on nitrous oxide container sales; SB 955 and AB 2481 update bottle-bill rules for reverse vending machines, supermarkets and glass-quality incentive payments. Waste and recycling companies supported the nitrous oxide measure, citing safety concerns and logistical burdens on household hazardous-waste programs.
