Minnesota committee hears battery-stewardship bill as recyclers warn of fires and industry flags market rules

ST. PAUL — Lawmakers heard detailed testimony on a proposed statewide battery stewardship program on April 9, with stakeholders saying the measure would reduce dangerous fires in recycling facilities and recover valuable materials while industry groups urged changes to the bill’s market-structure provisions.

The bill, Senate File 1690, would require producers to fund and manage a statewide system of drop-off sites and collection services for portable batteries. Tom Johnson, director of government relations for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, described the proposal as part of the governor’s supplemental package and said the agency is working with stakeholders to resolve remaining technical issues.

"Batteries are growing, evolving part of our day‑to‑day lives," the bill author told the committee, adding that the program focuses first on loose and easily removable batteries and not embedded batteries inside devices.

Why it matters: Recycling and solid-waste operators told the committee that improperly discarded lithium‑ion batteries have caused recurring thermal events and fires that endanger workers, damage equipment and raise insurance costs. Eureka Recycling’s policy manager said the organization has experienced "as many as 20 fires a year" in sorting facilities and that those fires "spread quickly through highly flammable paper and plastic." Their testimony urged the committee to advance SF 1690 to relieve counties and recyclers of growing safety and cost burdens.

Stakeholders and technical disputes: Industry groups and recyclers generally supported the safety aims but diverged on program design. Amber Back, testifying for the National Waste & Recycling Association (Minnesota chapter), said improper disposal "poses a significant and potentially deadly risk" and urged clarity and consumer convenience. Meeker County Commissioner Steve (testifying for county governments) told senators counties are already spending "tens of thousands" annually on battery management, with one county spending more than $300,000 in a year.

Redwood Materials, represented by Ashley C. Word, opposed parts of the bill as written, arguing operational requirements could "make it economically irrational for more than one battery stewardship organization to form" and therefore create a de facto monopoly that would limit competition and innovation. "We respectfully ask that this bill be amended" to allocate collection-site obligations and state administrative fees proportionally by market share, Word said.

MPCA and bill sponsors responded that the proposal aims to create statewide convenience and that existing product-responsibility organizations already operate collection networks in Minnesota. MPCA assistant commissioner Kirk said the bill’s oversight fees would cover agency costs only; the actual recycling and management costs would be borne by the stewardship organization and producers.

Numbers and mechanics: Committee members pressed how fees will be set and adjusted. MPCA and witnesses said producers and product stewardship organizations will set rates together and that markets for recovered materials provide some revenue: Maria Jensen, representing industry recyclers, confirmed there is value in some battery streams and that current groups recover and sell positive‑value batteries to offset program costs. The MPCA reported that Minnesota collected about 290,000 pounds of batteries in 2022 as a baseline for program planning.

Next steps: After extended questioning, the committee laid the bill over for additional hearings and technical work.

(Reporting in this article is based on testimony to the Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee on April 9, 2026.)