HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupport Letter - SB 501 (Allen) - 05.14.2025
May 14, 2025
The Honorable Ben Allen
Member, California State Senate
State Capitol, Room # 6610
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 501 (Allen) Household Hazardous Waste Producer Responsibility Act
Notice of SUPPORT (As Amended 04/07/25)
Dear Senator Allen:
The City of Cupertino is pleased to support your Senate Bill (SB) 501, which would establish an
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Program for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).
HHW is a broad category of many common products used daily by consumers that contain
hazardous materials. HHW requires special handling and disposal, as it is illegal to dispose of
HHW in the garbage, down storm drains, or onto the ground. When illegally or improperly
disposed of, chemicals in HHW can be released into the environment and contaminate our air,
water, and food supply. Such illegal dumping and the collection and management of HHW is
costly, which disproportionately falls to local governments and ratepayers.
EPR is a frequently used policy solution for products that have a uniquely problematic end-of-
life consequence, whether it be environmental, occupational, or financial. HHW materials are
one of the highest cost wastes per pound for local governments to manage on behalf of their
ratepayers. Costs to public entities can be reduced if the producers absorb the costs through an
EPR program. That shift in financial exposure makes producers more likely to design their
products to be less toxic and less costly to manage responsibly.
SB 501 is a critical piece of legislation for creating an end-of-life solution for various problematic
products. For these reasons, the City of Cupertino is pleased to support SB 501.
Sincerely,
Liang Chao
Mayor
City of Cupertino
cc. The Honorable Josh Becker
The Honorable Patrick Ahrens