Legislature(2025 - 2026)BUTROVICH 205
02/05/2025 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Cordova Electric Cooperative | |
| SB61 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 61 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 61-ELECTRONIC DEVICE RECYCLING
4:29:55 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 61, "An Act relating to an
electronic product stewardship program; relating to collection,
recycling, and disposal of electronic equipment; establishing
the electronics recycling advisory council; and providing for an
effective date."
4:30:33 PM
LOUIE FLORA, Staff, Senator Löki Tobin, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, explained that this legislation was
first brought before the Senate Resources Committee in 2024. He
paraphrased the written Sponsor Statement for SB 61 on behalf of
the sponsor.
[Original punctuation provided.]
SB 61
Sponsor Statement
Senate Bill 61 creates a manufacturer-funded system
for collecting and recycling electronic devices. Flat-
screen televisions, computer monitors, and other
electronic devices have grown integral to modern life,
business, and education. With ever more devices, there
is a growing problem of electronic waste in Alaska.
SB 61 introduces the practice of product stewardship
for electronic devices sold in Alaska. Product
stewardship is where the manufacturer of an electronic
device assumes financial responsibility on a life-
cycle basis for that device. Manufacturers allocate
funding to cover collection and recycling activities.
These costs are currently borne by communities, non-
profit organizations, Tribes, and businesses.
Electronic waste associated with human health risks
includes lead used in the cathode ray tubes found in
computer and TV screens, cadmium used in rechargeable
computer batteries, contacts and switches, and mercury
used in the liquid crystal displays of mobile phones
and flat screen computer monitors as well as in
switches, batteries, and fluorescent lamps. These
components are especially problematic in rural Alaska
where community landfills are often unlined, allowing
harmful chemicals to be released into local waters.
Landfill fires that include electronic devices can
cause smoke inhalation hazards in communities.
If SB 61 passes, Alaska will join half the states in
the nation, Canada, and many other countries in having
a product stewardship law. Under SB 61 a manufacturer
offering electronic devices covered under this bill
for sale in Alaska would register with the Department
of Environmental Conservation and allocate funding for
the collection and recycling of devices proportional
to the volume of their sales. Manufacturers would
register individually or join a clearinghouse that
specializes in implementing these programs and
dividing the costs of the program among manufacturers.
This will create a funding stream to cover the costs
of collection, transportation and recycling which is
currently funded by a mix of grants and local tax
revenue.
SB 61 was developed by the Alaska Solid Waste Task
Force. Stakeholders in the task force include the
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation, Kawerak
Incorporated, and Zender Environmental. A product
stewardship policy for electronic devices is supported
by the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska
Municipal League, the Solid Waste Association of North
America as well as numerous Alaska communities,
organizations, and businesses.
4:33:44 PM
MR. FLORA explained that, under SB 61, manufacturers can
register individually or join what is called a Product
Responsibility Organization (PRO), referred to in SB 61 as a
clearinghouse. He said a PRO specialized in implementing
disposal programs and dividing the cost of the programs among
manufacturers. The PRO model is generally well-accepted in
states that have adopted legislation like SB 61.
4:34:26 PM
MR. FLORA said the manufacturers or their PRO will propose a
plan for the recycling of the goods. The plan will be reviewed
and amended by a 13-member advisory council created under SB 61,
and ultimately that plan will be [submitted for] approval by the
Department of Environmental Conservation.
4:34:48 PM
MR. FLORA said the fee paid by the manufacturers will cover the
cost of collection, transportation and recycling efforts
currently funded in Alaska by a mix of grants and local tax
revenue. SB 61 will decrease the burden on local taxpayers, and
help alleviate concerns about what the federal funding picture
might look like in the future.
4:35:55 PM
MR. FLORA noted expert resources available on-line to testify or
answer questions.
4:37:05 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL announced invited testimony on SB 61.
4:37:57 PM
LYNN ZENDER, Executive Director, Zender Environmental Health and
Research Group, Anchorage, Alaska, moved to slide 1 and
introduced herself. She explained that Zender Environmental
Health and Research Group was an 18-member non-profit based in
Anchorage, primarily focused on serving rural communities to
address waste management and water quality issues.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Electronics product
stewardship in Alaska
February 5th
Senate Resources Committee
Dr. Lynn Zender
Director, Zender Environmental Health and Research
Group
Member, Solid Waste Alaska Task Force
4:38:41 PM
DR. ZENDER moved to slide 2. She said the task force was
comprised of solid waste experts from each organization who came
together to identify issues beyond the control or influence of
any one community. She said electronic waste (E-waste) was one
of those issues.
[Original punctuation provided.]
What is the Solid Waste Alaska Taskforce (SWAT)?
Formed in December 2014, SWAT is a team of multiple
organizations with statewide solid waste programs that work
together for sustainable waste solutions in rural Alaska:
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC)
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC)
Zender Environmental Health and Research Group
Kawerak, Inc
4:39:17 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 3, which contained a table of chemical
compounds, their range and refences; and two diagrams:
• A sanitary landfill - MS. ZENDER highlighted the liner,
leachate collection system and leachate treatment plant and
said a sanitary landfill is required in every community in
the United States, including the larger cities in Alaska.
• Unlined landfill - In rural Alaska, the landfills don't
have liners or leachate treatment. She said the chemicals
listed in the table of compounds and many more enter the
environment because there is nothing to stop them.
4:40:05 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 4. She noted the dead plants around
the landfill and said they indicated that leachate and the
chemicals therein were entering the surrounding waters and land.
[Original punctuation provided.]
[Overhead photo of a rural landfill situated on the
tundra.]
Chemicals
migrate
because there is
nothing stopping
them.
4:40:29 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 5, which contains a table of chemicals
and compounds as well as an incineration plant diagram and a
photo of a burn box in rural Alaska. She explained that burning
is one method of reducing waste volume and an incinerator to
treat all the [chemical] emissions is required everywhere in the
U.S. except in rural Alaska.
4:41:06 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 6 and said the chemicals listed in the
table [on slide 5] will be released into the air [when using a
burn box] and will result in the unfortunate circumstances
depicted on slide 6. She said about 85 percent of rural Alaska
communities burn at least sometimes.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Harmful
chemicals
release into the
air through
Open Burning
[Photo of a rural school and playground situated
across a road from a landfill; smoke from a burn box
is shown carried by the wind toward the school and
playground.]
About three-quarters of landfills are within
one mile of town and one-quarter
are within 1000 ft of town.
4:41:35 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 7.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Proximity to Water
[Photo of a fenced landfill situated within a few
yards of a Subsistence River.]
Proximity: Nearly 30% are within 100 ft of a primary
water body, about half flood yearly during breakup.
4:41:54 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 8 and expressed concern about direct
human exposure to chemicals released by burning or by leaching.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Worker safety concerns.
[Photo of an open, operating burn box with a person in
proximity.]
4:42:24 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 9. She said there have not been a lot
of health risk studies done in rural Alaska, primarily because
of the small populations. One study published in the American
Journal of Epidemiology found that rural Alaska sites with the
most hazardous waste content were linked with a four times
greater chance of certain birth defects as well as other
[adverse] birth outcomes. E-waste comprises the greatest volume
of hazardous waste present in rural Alaska, containing lead,
cadmium, flame retardants, phthalates, etc. that can cause
cancer, developmental delays, birth defects, IQ loss and
reproductive problems. She said it makes sense to pull out the
E-waste.
[Original punctuation provided.]
[Text accompanied by photos of open landfill with evidence of
burning and with evident E-waste.]
Sites with the most hazardous wastes were linked with
a 4 times greater chance of certain types of birth
defects, as well as other negative birth outcomes.
E-wastes make up the biggest volume of hazardous
waste.
They contain chemicals like lead, cadmium, flame
retardants, phthalates, that can cause cancer,
developmental delays, IQ loss, reproductive problems,
and more.
4:43:32 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 10. She said there was very limited
space to store e-waste when villages pull it out of landfills to
avoid negative health impacts. She noted the high expense to
construct facilities in rural Alaska. She said Americans
generate about 40 pounds of e-waste per person per year.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Limited space to store e-waste.
[Text accompanied by photos of piled E-waste in indoor
and outdoor settings.]
• A 500-person village can generate 20,000 lbs. of
e-waste each year.
• Alaska makes around 25 million pounds of e-waste
each year.
4:44:11 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 11. She said safety was not part of
the health risk study.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Safety is also a problem even when it doesn't look
like it.
[Statement superimposed on a photo of a landfill with
an open fire emitting heavy, black smoke.]
4:44:22 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 12.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Lithium Battery Air Incidents
involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat
Cellular phone - 86
Other electronic device - 75
Laptop - 72
[Statement superimposed on subsequent photo of burning
landfill from slide 12 engulfed in a fiery explosion.]
MS. ZENDER observed that it was not known whether the explosion
in the photo was caused by a lithium battery, but it is known
that lithium batteries are a fire safety issue. There were over
200 incidents of lithium battery error incidents last year
alone. She emphasized that these materials do not belong in
landfills where there is combustible material and not a lot of
control.
4:45:00 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 13.
[Original punctuation provided.]
About 90% of communities can't afford to operate a
backhaul program on their own and still run their
landfill properly
backhaul creates jobs.
[Photos of village residents working to gather e-
waste.]
Backhaul creates jobs, increases Alaska transporter
revenues, protects people, and reduces future
liability concerns.
4:45:33 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 14 and said [Zender Environmental
Health and Research Group] administers the Backhaul Alaska
program on behalf of Solid Waste Alaska Taskforce (SWAT). The
effort includes 94 communities. She emphasized the great work
that is being done, but said it is grant-funded and not
sustainable.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Backhaul Alaska helps to leverage logistics and
supplies but is grant funded also
• Trainings [Photo of people gathered around
palletized e-waste.]
• Logisitics [Photo of excavator loading e-waste on
a fishing boat
• Supplies and Inventory Assistance [Photo of
packaging and appropriate chemical and hazardous
labeling materials.]
• Regional Coordination and Guidance [Alaska map
illustrating rural locations and connections.]
• Site Visits and Safety Checks [Photo of worker
with apparent collected e-waste.]
4:46:18 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 15.
[Original punctuation provided.]
The E-waste problem in Urban Alaska
• Even the best urban landfill liners fail and will
eventually release toxic chemicals to water and
land.
• Alaskans depend on the environment for their food
salmon, moose, berries can all be impacted.
• It's a big liability risk.
4:46:50 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 16.
[Original punctuation provided.]
The E-waste problem in Alaska
• it is inconvenient because there are few locations
and there are restrictions on what is accepted.
• But making people pay to drop-off their electronics
is a big disincentive. We want to capture the full
waste stream.
• Our schools and small businesses pay when they are
struggling.
• Our big cities pay for e-waste disposal when those funds
could go to balance budgets.
4:47:39 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 17.
[Original punctuation provided.]
We want to recycle , but it is so expensive.
Disposal costs are burdening our governments, our
schools, small businesses, non -profits, and the
public.
[Graphic illustration comparing the cost of waste
recycling in the Lower-48, Urban Alaska and Rural
Alaska.]
4:47:59 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 18. She said Solid Waste
Alaska Taskforce (SWAT) identified the number one solution to be
"Product Stewardship".
[Original punctuation provided.]
#1. Product Stewardship.
[Graphic depiction:
1. Manufacturers make the product $
2. Interim Public Use of Product
3. Recycle the Product $
4. Safe Disposal
• A law that shifts the cost of safe
recycling/disposal to the producers.
• Producers pay for the product development and
they pay for its disposal the full life cycle
of the product.
• Because producers have to pay for disposal they
are motivated to produce less toxic, more
durable, repairable, and /or more recyclable
products. Market Efficiency.
4:48:35 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to slide 19, a map of the United States
identifying states with U.S. Electronics Laws in 2024. She noted
that Hawaii also has backhaul costs and backhaul issues because
they do not have any processors in state.
4:48:56 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 20.
[Original punctuation provided.]
E-waste legislation for Alaska
• SWAT researched product stewardship in Maine, BC,
Hawaii and consulted with stakeholders around the
state over several years.
• Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) helped
incorporate experiences from other states through a
template
• A stakeholder advisory group discussed and drafted a
framework that fits Alaska.
4:49:44 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 21.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Resolutions: Alaska Federation of Natives, Alaska
Municipal League, multiple small communities, the
Solid Waste Association of North America, Alaska
Chapter
Some of the Groups, Tribes, Organizations who have
provided input for a Framework that will work for
Alaska. 2018 - 2023
• Alaska Support Industry Alliance
• UAA Cooperative Development Center
• Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling
• Maniilaq Association
• Saltchuk
• Alaska Marine Lines
• Aleut International Association
• ANVCA
• Alaska Air Carriers Association
• Denali Commission
• TetraTech
• Waste Management
• Alaska Municipal League
• Knik Tribe
• AVCP
• Anchorage Municipality
• Curyung Tribe
• Solid Waste Assoc. N. America
• Total Reclaim
• Interior Greenstar
• Central Recycling
4:49:50 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 22.
[Original punctuation provided.]
Every community is covered.
• Larger communities (over 5,500) get year-round drop-
off centers
• Offroad communities would have essentially a
shipping van(s) to store waste, and recycling,
shipping, supplies, and labor would be covered to
ship out accumulated electronics annually.
• Schools would be included as would smaller business
and nonprofits.
4:50:06 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 23. She emphasized the
agreement among stakeholders that Product Stewardship in Alaska
should not cost the state anything.
[Original punctuation provided.]
To know
• Producers covers all costs: collection,
transportation, processing, recycling, education,
program administration, and ADEC
oversight/administration.
• There has never been a documented price increase in
computers/electronics after a bill has passed here
or worldwide.
4:50:57 PM
MS. ZENDER moved to and narrated slide 24.
[Original punctuation provided.]
The Bottom Line?Why not?
By incorporating disposal costs into the product, the
Market makes health protection and cost much more
efficient than what we could otherwise do.
• No obligations on Alaska Retailers.
• No taxes or fees for Alaska consumers.
• No additional cost for the State.
4:52:10 PM
SCOTT KLAG, Consultant, Product Stewardship Institute, Portland,
Oregon, affirmed SB 61 and said its provisions place it as one
of the best product stewardship laws in the country. He
emphasized that SB 61 would not put a financial burden on the
state and that all costs of the program, including the costs of
administration and oversight, are to be carried by the
manufacturers.
4:54:19 PM
LELAND REHARD, Environmental Program Coordinator, City of
Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, emphasized and affirmed the high
degree of collaboration among stakeholders to develop SB 61 and
the high value placed on building consensus by the Solid Waste
Alaska Taskforce (SWAT).
4:55:04 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR noted concerns about Section 46.06.250 of SB 61
describing civil penalties for prohibited acts:
• He questioned the enforceability of individualized penalties,
especially in everyday scenarios like disposing of old
devices.
• He expressed doubts about the necessity of these penalties for
the bill's operation.
• He suggested potential disparities in the application of
penalties across different neighborhoods, noting significant
fines for repeated violations.
4:56:47 PM
MR. FLORA said it was his understanding that the fines [proposed
in SB 61] apply to the manufacturers, the clearing houses and
the collection site administrators [as well as residents]. He
said the fee structure included latitude for situational
flexibility. He advocated to keep some penalty in the
legislation to ensure accountability and to ensure that SB 61
produces results.
4:58:08 PM
MR. KLAG affirmed that this was an issue in other states. He
highlighted the ability to hold manufacturers accountable to the
provisions of SB 61 and to address proper disposal by residents.
He cautioned against singling people out and the importance of
informing people about disposal bans. He encouraged the
development of robust community education and promotion programs
by the advisory committee and said those programs should include
information about available [disposal] services.
5:00:15 PM
MS. ZENDER said she was aware of regulations in place in
Anchorage against discarding electronic devices in trash cans.
She said she was not sure how the city of Anchorage enforced the
regulation.
5:01:02 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR said he would investigate further [outside
committee].
5:01:16 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL held SB 61 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5.25 Cordova Electric Presentation to Senate Resources.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
|
| SB 61 Support Resolutions.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 v.A Fiscal Note.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 Supporting Document Alaska Business Magazine October 2024.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 Version A Sectional Analysis.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 Background Alaska Electronics Product Stewardship Summary.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 Public Testimony.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |
| SB 61 Dr. Zender Presentation.pdf |
SRES 2/5/2025 3:30:00 PM |
SB 61 |