Vermont Statutes
Chapter 168 - Product Stewardship for Primary Batteries and Rechargeable Batteries
§ 7581. Definitions

§ 7581. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Agency” means the Agency of Natural Resources.
(2) “Brand” means a name, symbol, word, or traceable mark that identifies a primary battery and attributes the primary battery to the owner or licensee of the brand as the producer.
(3) “Calendar year” means the period commencing January 1 and ending December 31 of the same year.
(4) “Collection rate” means a percentage by weight that each producer or primary battery stewardship organization collects by an established date. The collection rate shall be calculated by dividing the total weight of the primary batteries that are collected during a calendar year by the average annual weight of primary batteries that were estimated to have been sold in the State by participating producers during the previous three calendar years. Estimates of primary batteries sold in the State may be based on a reasonable pro rata calculation based on national sales.
(5) “Consumer” means any person who presents or delivers any number of primary batteries to a collection facility that is included in an approved primary battery stewardship plan.
(6) “Consumer product” means any product that is regularly used or purchased to be used for personal, family, or household purposes. “Consumer product” shall not mean a product primarily used or purchased for industrial or business use.
(7) “Discarded primary battery” means a primary battery that is no longer used for its manufactured purpose.
(8) “Easily removable” means readily detachable by a person without the use of tools or with the use of common household tools.
(9) “Participate” means to appoint a primary battery stewardship organization or rechargeable battery stewardship organization to operate on behalf of oneself and to have that appointment accepted by the stewardship organization.
(10) “Primary battery” means a nonrechargeable battery weighing two kilograms or less, including alkaline, carbon-zinc, and lithium metal batteries. “Primary battery” shall not mean:
(A) a battery intended for industrial, business-to-business, warranty or maintenance services, or nonpersonal use;
(B) a battery that is sold in a computer, computer monitor, computer peripheral, printer, television, or device containing a cathode ray tube;
(C) a battery that is not easily removable or is not intended to be removed from a consumer product; and
(D) a battery that is sold or used in a medical device, as that term is defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 321(h), as may be amended.
(11) “Primary battery producer” or “producer” means one of the following with regard to a primary battery that is sold or offered for sale in the State:
(A) a person who manufactures a primary battery and who sells or offers for sale that primary battery in the State under the person’s own name or brand;
(B) if subdivision (A) of this subdivision (11) does not apply, a person who owns or licenses a trademark or brand under which a primary battery is sold or offered for sale whether or not the trademark is registered; or
(C) if subdivisions (A) and (B) of this subdivision (11) do not apply, a person who imports a primary battery into the State for sale.
(12) “Primary battery stewardship organization” means an organization appointed by one or more producers to act as an agent on behalf of a producer or producers to design, submit, implement, and administer a primary battery stewardship plan under this chapter.
(13) “Primary battery stewardship plan” or “plan” means a plan submitted to the Secretary pursuant to section 7584 of this title by an individual producer or a primary battery stewardship organization.
(14) “Program” or “stewardship program” means the system for the collection, transportation, recycling, and disposal of primary batteries implemented pursuant to an approved primary battery stewardship plan.
(15)(A) “Rechargeable battery” means:
(i) one or more voltaic or galvanic cells, electrically connected to produce electric energy and designed to be recharged and weighing less than 11 pounds; or
(ii) a battery pack designed to be recharged that weighs less than 11 pounds and that is designed to provide less than 40 volts direct current.
(B) “Rechargeable battery” shall not mean:
(i) a battery that is not easily removable or is not intended or designed to be removed from the covered product, other than by the manufacturer;
(ii) a battery that contains electrolyte as a free liquid;
(iii) a battery or battery pack that employs lead-acid technology, unless the battery or battery pack:
(I) is sealed;
(II) contains no liquid electrolyte; and
(III) is intended by its manufacturer to power a handheld device or to provide uninterrupted backup electrical power protection for stationary consumer products or stationary office equipment; or
(iv) a battery intended for industrial, business-to-business, warranty or maintenance services, or nonpersonal use.
(16) “Rechargeable battery steward” means a person who:
(A) manufactures a rechargeable battery or a rechargeable product that is sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the State under its own brand name;
(B) owns or licenses a trademark or brand under which a rechargeable battery or rechargeable product is sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the State, whether or not the trademark is registered; or
(C) if subdivisions (A) and (B) of this subdivision (16) do not apply, imports a rechargeable battery or rechargeable product into the State for sale or distribution.
(17) “Rechargeable battery stewardship organization” means an entity registered by the Secretary pursuant to section 7588 of this title that is either a single rechargeable battery steward operating on its own behalf; an organization appointed by one or more rechargeable battery stewards to operate a plan in which each steward is participating; or a retailer or franchisor of retailers operating a plan on behalf of itself or its franchisees.
(18) “Rechargeable product” means a consumer product that contains or is packaged with a rechargeable battery at the time the product is sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the State. “Rechargeable product” shall not mean:
(A) a product from which a rechargeable battery is not easily removable or is not intended or designed to be removed from the product other than by the manufacturer; or
(B) a medical device, as that term is defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 321(h), as amended.
(19) “Recycling” means any process by which discarded products, components, and by-products are transformed into new usable or marketable materials in a manner in which the original products may lose their identity, but does not include energy recovery or energy generation by means of combusting discarded products, components, and by-products with or without other waste products.
(20) “Retailer” means a person who offers a primary battery for sale to any consumer or business at retail in the State through any means, including remote offerings such as sales outlets, catalogues, or an Internet website.
(21) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Natural Resources. (Added 2013, No. 139 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 22, 2014.)