<p>May 12, 2015</p><p>The Honorable Jimmy Gomez California State Assembly State Capitol, Room 2114 Sacramento, CA 95814</p><p>SUBJECT: AB 1159: SHARING RESPONSBILITY FOR ALKALINE BATTERY AND NEEDLE MANAGEMENT - SUPPORT</p><p>Dear Assemblymember Gomez:</p><p>The ______is in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 1159, which would create a sustainable, cost-effective and convenient collection and recycling program for non- rechargeable batteries sold in California to finally achieve the goals of state disposal bans for household batteries in 2006 and sharps/needles in 2008. [Talk about your organization and why you support the bill – and any problems you have and costs associated with alkaline battery and sharps collection and management. If you have any specific costs or data on recycling/waste workers being stuck with needles and related costs or personal stories, please share them! AB 1159 is a pilot-program that seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness and potential applications of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to the state legislature. EPR is a public policy option that recognizes the significant public health, environmental, occupational safety and health, and fiscal impacts resulting from some products at the end of their useful life and is successfully used around the world. Batteries and sharps are exceptionally expensive to manage, and sharps create a significant occupational safety hazard for solid waste workers. </p><p>AB 1159 will require producers of household batteries and sharps to design, implement and manage a customized collection system that is safe and convenient for California consumers to conveniently recycle and dispose just as they do in other countries. This supports a smaller government, lower tax and garbage rate, private-sector approach with proper state government oversight. The bill does not require manufacturers to bear all of the responsibility for the impact of these products – it just requires a contribution to the efforts already funded by taxpayers and managed by local governments. It’s recognition that industry has a role in managing the end-of-life consequences of the products they produce when those products have substantial societal impacts at the end-of-life and that externalizing all the costs is just not fair nor reasonable. </p><p>______is in strong support of this important piece of legislation. </p><p>Sincerely, NAME and Title Organization cc: Members of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations Fax: (916) 319-2181</p><p>Assembly member Richard Gordon Assembly member Das Williams Assembly member Mark Stone</p>