PlayStations, power tools and more will cost Californians more due to battery fees
Californians will now pay more for certain electronics under a new electronic recycling fee that took effect January 1.
The surcharge applies to products with non-removable batteries, including PlayStation consoles, power tools, and even items like musical greeting cards. At checkout, consumers will be charged a 1.5% fee on the purchase price, capped at $15 per item.
The new charge is part of California’s Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Program, which aims to reduce the growing amount of battery-embedded waste across the state. The fee expands the existing Electronic Waste Recycling Act to address products whose batteries cannot be easily removed by consumers.
Under the law, the fee applies to any product that “contains a battery that is not designed to be easily removed by the user with no more than commonly used household tools,” according to CalRecycle. Certain medical devices and single-use plastic vapes are exempt.
Critics have pushed back against the surcharge, calling it yet another financial burden in an already expensive state. Some took to social media to vent their frustration, questioning California’s reliance on fees and taxes.
Supporters, however, say the measure addresses a serious safety issue. Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly causing fires and explosions at waste and recycling facilities when they are improperly discarded.
“These things are everywhere. They’re ubiquitous,” Joe La Mariana, executive director of RethinkWaste, told CalMatters.
Doug Kobold, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council, argued the fee is a cost-effective solution. “Paying a small check-stand fee to fund proper collection is far cheaper than million-dollar fires, higher insurance premiums, and rate hikes passed back to communities,” he said.
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