Commission hears update on battery-collection programs and emerging e-mobility risks

On Feb. 5 the San Francisco Commission on the Environment received an update on the city's battery-collection programs, including curbside bin-top collection, apartment battery buckets and a retail drop-off network.

Toxics program manager Paolo (presented under multiple name variants in the transcript) and Huey Lehi reviewed program design and outreach. Lehi said curbside bin-top collection accounts for the majority of batteries recovered, followed by retail partners and apartment buckets. Staff noted that apartment programs represent about 8% of batteries collected while approximately 75% of San Francisco's housing is multifamily, signaling a participation gap staff plan to address.

Presenters described rising battery-collection totals from 2012 to 2023 and emphasized public-safety concerns associated with larger lithium batteries in e-mobility devices and vape-pen cartridges. Staff described pilot partnerships—producer responsibility programs and 14 bike shops collecting e-bike batteries—and noted Recology recently began accepting certain e-mobility batteries to reduce safety risks. Commissioners asked about mandatory apartment participation; staff said the bucket program is currently opt-in and that they had explored but encountered roadblocks to making it mandatory.

Staff outlined outreach campaigns (Help Beat Battery Waste) and steps to increase participation among multifamily properties. They also flagged regulatory and technical constraints for certain items (for example, vape-pen cartridges that contain cannabis products are restricted by federal regulation unless cartridges are removed before recycling).

Next steps: staff will work with Recology, property managers, retail partners and Supervisor Peskin's office on outreach and potential ordinance components addressing e-mobility-device charging and recycling.