The Electronic Waste and Recycling Act of 2003 was amended in 2022 by Senate Bill (SB) 1215 by adding battery-powered products to the list of electronic devices covered by the Act.
The effects of this amendment came into force on July 1, 2025. In this context, manufacturers of products with built-in batteries covered by the law must now comply with new requirements.
According to Section 42463(f), a "product with a built-in battery" means a product that contains a battery that cannot be readily removed from the product by the user of the product using standard household tools.
- July 2025: Manufacturers of products with built-in batteries must provide a list of affected products and exempt products in an annual notice to California retailers that sell these products in California.
The notice must inform retailers that the products with built-in batteries listed in the notice are subject to a recycling fee for products with built-in batteries. The amount of the fee need not be specified in the notice.
Copies of the notices must also be emailed to CalRecycle via CEDmanufacturers@calrecycle.ca.gov.
- October 2025: No later than this date, the Covered Electronic Waste (CEW) Recycling Program will establish recycling fees for affected products.
- January 2026: Consumers pay the recycling fee at the time of purchase. In addition, the affected products must be labeled with the name of the manufacturer and the brand. In addition, the affected products must either be labeled with information on the chemical composition of the battery in the battery-powered product or this information must be available on the manufacturer's website.
- April 2026: CalRecycle will begin accepting payment claims for CEWs collected after January 1, 2026.
Do you have questions about this regulation and the deadlines of the Battery Ordinance? Please do not hesitate to contact us for further assistance. Simply send us an email with your question or use our contact form.
Would you have known? In the individual states of the USA alone, there are around 405 different sets of regulations on material compliance.
In addition to federal regulations such as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), specific regulations may also apply at state, provincial or territorial level - for example in the USA or Canada.
You can also read more about international material compliance here →"Material compliance worldwide"
Author's note
This article has been machine translated into English.
DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
The Electronic Waste and Recycling Act is not a single, universal law, but refers to various national and state laws that regulate the handling of electronic waste, such as the German Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) or the Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA) in the USA. These laws stipulate that electrical appliances must be collected separately and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner in order to recover valuable raw materials and avoid harmful substances.
