EU Battery Directive: Types of Battery Covered
The Batteries Directive (91/157/EEC) was adopted by the European Union in March 1991. The Directive introduced restrictions on the use of mercury in most batteries and also encouraged the collection and recycling of disused batteries.
On the 26th September 2008, however, a new battery directive (2006/66/EC) came into force which repealed the previous Directive. The reason behind the change was that it was found that the majority of the objectives of the first Directive were not achieved as most portable batteries were still sent to landfill (although some countries did have efficient collection schemes in place) rather than being collected and recycled.
Portable
Portable batteries are used by both consumers and by industry. These are sold as individual batteries and also in equipment. Primary batteries reach end-of-life (when discharged) before the equipment and so many waste primary batteries will be available for recycling. Rechargeable batteries are sold as individual batteries or in electrical equipment and so many will reach end-of-life when the equipment’s life ends. As a result, the user will remove some and others would be removed by WEEE recycling schemes. Therefore any system for collection of portable batteries will need to account for all of these routes.
Options include:
� Take-back by retailers: This could be similar to existing distributor take-back schemes that are available for waste electrical equipment.
� Take-back by battery or equipment supplier: This approach is mainly appropriate for professional and industrial batteries although larger manufacturers could collect batteries from consumers.
� Use of compliance schemes: Several compliance scheme options are in place.
� Companies could be caught under both producer and retailer responsibilities in some countries (such as the UK)
It is probable that a combination of approaches will be used in a similar way that the WEEE Directive is implemented. One option is for the authorities to set targets for collection of waste batteries either for individual producers that have opted to collect batteries or for schemes that collect on behalf of members.
Batteries are already collected by WEEE compliance schemes when waste electrical equipment is disassembled. Most of these batteries will be portable and should be recycled.
Going forward batteries in equipment may have to be reported separately.
Industrial and automotive
If you are a Producer of Industrial and/or automotive batteries you need to register with BIS in the UK. You will also need to record the amount of batteries you placed on the market.
Although all producers must register, Member States may exclude “Small” producers (who sell only small numbers of batteries) from any obligation
July 19 2011 06:04 am | Environment
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