Further Information on Batteries

Index

1. Introduction

The Department of the Environment has worked alongside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to deliver a UK-wide system to transpose the Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators Directive 2006/66/EC (“the Batteries Directive”(408kb)). Please note, for ease of reference, the word ‘batteries’ refers to both disposable batteries and accumulators (rechargeable batteries). The UK legislation affects portable, automotive and industrial batteries.

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2. Who is affected?

If you import, manufacture or sell batteries in the UK, or if you are involved in the management of waste batteries, then you will have obligations under the new system for batteries.

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3. UK system for batteries and accumulators

Portable batteries

The legislation requires:

• collection targets of 25% to be reached by 2012 and 45% to be reached by 2016
• interim collection targets to assess progress towards these targets (10% in 2010, 18% in 2011, 30% in 2013, 35% in 2014, 40% in 2015%)
• producer responsibility for battery collection and recycling. Producers must join a Battery Compliance Scheme (BCS). The BCS will arrange the collection and recycling of waste portable batteries on behalf of producers. The BCS will also carry out publicity to inform consumers on how they can return their waste household batteries for recycling
• a requirement for producers who put less than 1 tonne a year of portable batteries on the market, to register with the environment agencies but not have to fund collection, treatment and recycling;
• a requirement from February 2010, for certain retailers of portable batteries to provide a take back facility for waste batteries

Industrial and automotive batteries

The legislation requires:

• the prohibition of disposal of automotive & industrial batteries in landfill and by incineration
• a requirement for producers of industrial batteries to offer free take back on all industrial batteries from end users
• a requirement for producers of automotive batteries to set up collection schemes for spent automotive batteries not covered under schemes established under the End of Life Vehicles Directive

Other requirements

The legislation requires:

• a prohibition the sale of batteries containing certain levels of mercury and cadmium
• batteries to be labelled with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol and the capacity and chemistry of the battery
• manufacturers to design appliances in such a way that waste batteries can be readily removed

The legislation will be enforced by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the Environment Agency and National Weights and Measures Laboratory.

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4. Government documents

The following documents provide further information on the batteries regime:

• Guidance document on waste batteries (841kb)

• Guidance document on Batteries (Placing on the Market) Regulations (137kb)

• DEFRA distributor information leaflet (70kb)

• FAQ document for distributors (257kb)

• Advisory note on the storage and transport of waste portable batteries (432kb)

• FAQ document for consumers (121kb)

WRAP battery trials

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) carried out work to determine the most effective way of collecting batteries to meet the targets set under the Directive. A full report of WRAP’s household battery collection trials from April 2005 – March 2008 was published in November 2008.

WRAP Batteries Report (896kb)

Legislation

The Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators Directive 2006/66/EC was transposed by:

The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2164) (104kb)

The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/890) (299kb)

The Waste Batteries and Accumulators (Treatment and Disposal) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (S.R. 2009 No. 159) (49kb)

The Waste Batteries and Accumulators (Charges) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (22kb)

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5. Useful links

Northern Ireland Environment Agency

Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Business Innovation and Skills