ASSEMBLY, No. 2378

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 26, 1996

 

 

By Assemblymen IMPREVEDUTO and DiGAETANO

 

 

An Act concerning certain used dry cell batteries, and amending P.L.1991, c.521.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. Section 3 of P.L.1991, c.521 (C.13:1E-99.61) is amended to read as follows:

    3. As used in sections 1 through 23 of this act:

    "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection;

    "Consumer mercuric oxide battery" means any button or coin shaped mercuric oxide battery which is purchased at retail by a consumer for personal or household use;

    "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection;

    "Distributor" means a person who sells dry cell batteries at wholesale to retailers in this State, including any manufacturer who engages in these sales, except that a "distributor" shall not include any wholesaler or distributor owned cooperatively by retailers;

    "Dry cell battery" means any type of button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped, enclosed device or sealed container consisting of a combination of two or more voltaic or galvanic cells, electrically connected to produce electric energy, composed of lead, lithium, manganese, mercury, mercuric oxide, silver oxide, cadmium, zinc, copper or other metals, or any combination thereof, and designed for commercial, industrial, medical, institutional or household use, including any alkaline manganese, lithium, mercuric oxide, silver oxide, zinc-air or zinc-carbon battery, nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery or sealed lead rechargeable battery;

    "Institutional generator" means the owner or operator of any public or private, commercial or industrial establishment or facility, including any establishment owned or operated by, or on behalf of, a governmental agency, health care facility or hospital, licensed or other authorized hearing aid dispenser, research laboratory or facility, who routinely uses large quantities of mercuric oxide batteries or nickel-cadmium or sealed lead rechargeable batteries; or the owner or operator of any public or private facility identified by the department that generates at least 220 pounds of these types of used dry cell batteries per month, or the owner or operator of any public or private facility that accumulates 220 pounds of these types of used dry cell batteries at any time;

    "Lithium battery" means any button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped dry cell battery consisting of lithium and other chemicals commonly used in pocket calculators, wrist watches and other electrical appliances;

    "Manufacturer" means a person producing dry cell batteries for sale to institutional generators, distributors, retailers, small quantity generators or consumers;

    "Mercuric oxide battery" means any button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped dry cell battery consisting of zinc, potassium and mercury oxide which is designed or sold for commercial, industrial, medical or institutional use;

    "Nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery" means any button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped dry cell battery composed of cadmium and nickel which is designed for reuse and is capable of being recharged after repeated uses, and which has a useful life of at least 12 months , except that "nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery" shall not include any dry cell battery used as a backup power source for memory or program instruction storage, timekeeping, or any similar purpose that requires uninterrupted electrical power in order to operate if the primary energy supply fails or fluctuates momentarily ;

    "Rechargeable battery" means any nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery or sealed lead rechargeable battery;

    "Rechargeable consumer product" means any product, including, but not limited to, a cordless electrical tool or appliance, containing a nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery or a sealed lead rechargeable battery, which is purchased at retail and commonly used for personal or household purposes;

    "Retailer" means a person engaged in the sale of rechargeable batteries to any consumer at retail;

    "Sealed lead rechargeable battery" means any button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped dry cell battery composed of lead and other chemicals which is designed for reuse and is capable of being recharged after repeated uses, and which has a useful life of at least 12 months;

    "Silver oxide battery" means any button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped dry cell battery consisting of silver oxide, potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide and zinc, and mercury commonly used in wrist watches and other electrical appliances;

    "Solid waste container" means a receptacle, container or bag suitable for the depositing of solid waste;

    "Solid waste facilities" mean and include the plants, structures and other real and personal property acquired, constructed or operated or to be acquired, constructed or operated by any person pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.), P.L.1970, c.40 (C.48:13A-1 et seq.) or any other act, including transfer stations, incinerators, resource recovery facilities, sanitary landfill facilities or other plants for the disposal of solid waste, and all vehicles, equipment and other real and personal property and rights therein and appurtenances necessary or useful and convenient for the collection or disposal of solid waste in a sanitary manner;

    "Small quantity generator" means the owner or operator of any public or private, commercial or industrial establishment or facility, including any establishment owned or operated by, or on behalf of, a governmental agency, health care facility or hospital, licensed or other authorized hearing aid dispenser, research laboratory or facility, who routinely uses small quantities of mercuric oxide batteries or nickel-cadmium or sealed lead rechargeable batteries; or the owner or operator of any public or private facility identified by the department that generates less than 220 pounds of these types of used dry cell batteries per month, or the owner or operator of any public or private facility that accumulates over 20 pounds but less than 220 pounds of these types of used dry cell batteries at any time;

    "Zinc-air battery" means any button, coin, cylindrical, rectangular or other shaped dry cell battery consisting of zinc, potassium hydroxide and commonly used in hearing aids, photographic equipment and electrical appliances.

(cf: P.L.1991, c.521, s.3)

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    The "Dry Cell Battery Management Act," P.L.1991, 521 provides for the management of used dry cell batteries in this State to reduce the amount of toxic metals entering the solid waste stream. Section 6 of the law prohibits the sale of any rechargeable consumer product after July 1, 1993 "unless the nickel-cadmium or sealed lead rechargeable battery is readily removable from the product; or the battery is contained in a battery pack which is separate from the product and the battery pack is readily removable from the product."

    This bill would exempt any dry cell battery used as a backup power source for memory or program instruction storage, timekeeping, or any similar purpose that requires uninterrupted electrical power in order to operate if the primary energy supply fails or fluctuates momentarily. This type of backup battery is an integral feature in such electronic equipment as facsimile machines, lap-top and desk-top computers, cash registers, microwave ovens, dishwashers, and stoves.

    Significant safety considerations arise from using alternative technologies or redesigning products to make backup batteries "readily removable" due to the size and functional role of the batteries. In addition, the amount of cadmium from backup batteries that may enter the municipal solid waste stream in New Jersey is de minimis. Also, many of the products that contain these backup batteries do not normally enter the municipal solid waste stream at the end of the product life cycle. In fact, the Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of establishing a "demanufacturing" pilot program under which these products would be removed from the waste stream for environmentally safe recycling and disposal.

    Finally, a recently enacted federal law, the "Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act," exempts backup batteries from provisions similar to the State law.

 

 

                             

Amends the "Dry Cell Battery Management Act.