Oregon legislators passed HB 4144 on March 5, addressing the growing threat of battery fires to state waste and recycling systems, requiring producers to fund and operate a statewide collection and recycling program. The bill cleared the Senate in a 20–8 vote.
Under the law, producers are prohibited from selling, offering for sale or distributing batteries or battery-containing products in or into Oregon unless they participate in a producer responsibility organization (PRO) that successfully implements an EPR program. The measure also bans disposal of removable lithium-ion batteries in mixed municipal solid waste.
“While this milestone is worth celebrating, it’s also a new beginning,” the Association of Oregon Recyclers stated after the bill passed. “The work ahead through rulemaking and program plan review will require the same collaboration and momentum that brought us to this moment.”
The bill text states that battery PROs that intend to lead the program must submit an implementation plan to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) by September 1, 2028, with plans to be operational by July 1, 2029. The DEQ has 90 days to approve or reject a submitted plan, and approved plans carry a three-year validity period.
The selected PRO must provide “convenient and equitable” service throughout Oregon, including a network of collection sites distributed to ensure that 95% of state residents are within 15 miles of a collection site.
The bill requires the DEQ to review and evaluate studies and assessments performed in other states such as Illinois, Vermont and Washington to determine what products or batteries are covered, with a report due to the legislative assembly by May 30, 2028.
Covered producers participating in a battery PRO are exempt from state antitrust laws, and the bill provides immunity from federal antitrust laws.
Oregon now joins at least six other states and the District of Columbia with battery EPR programs on the books.
