2006 Minnesota Statutes

115A.961 HOUSEHOLD BATTERIES; COLLECTION, PROCESSING, AND DISPOSAL.
    Subdivision 1. Definition. For the purposes of this section, "household batteries" means
disposable or rechargeable dry cells commonly used as power sources for household or consumer
products including, but not limited to, nickel-cadmium, alkaline, mercuric oxide, silver oxide,
zinc oxide, lithium, and carbon-zinc batteries, but excluding lead acid batteries.
    Subd. 2. Program. (a) The commissioner, in consultation with other state agencies, political
subdivisions, and representatives of the household battery industry, may develop household
battery programs. The commissioner must coordinate the programs with the Legislative-Citizen
Commission on Minnesota Resources Study on Batteries.
(b) The commissioner shall investigate options and develop guidelines for collection,
processing, and disposal of household batteries. The options the commissioner may investigate
include:
(1) establishing a grant program for counties to plan and implement household battery
collection, processing, and disposal projects;
(2) establishing collection and transportation systems;
(3) developing and disseminating educational materials regarding environmentally sound
battery management; and
(4) developing markets for materials recovered from the batteries.
(c) The commissioner may also distribute funds to political subdivisions to develop battery
management plans and implement those plans.
    Subd. 3. Participation. A political subdivision, on its own or in cooperation with others,
may implement a program to collect, process, or dispose of household batteries. A political
subdivision may provide financial incentives to any person, including public or private civic
groups, to collect the batteries.
    Subd. 4.[Obsolete, 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 161]
History: 1Sp1989 c 1 art 20 s 14; 1994 c 639 art 5 s 3; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 161; 2006
c 243 s 21