The Haz Guide

On 26 September 2006, Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (herein called the Batteries Directive). This Directive repeals Directive 91/157/EEC.
Member States have until 26 September 2008 to transpose the provisions into national law. Once transposed in the UK, the Directive will reduce the quantity of waste batteries going to landfill and increase the recovery of the materials they contain. Both hazardous and non-hazardous batteries are covered. Defra and BERR share responsibility for this; Defra are leading on portable/household battery provisions (including portable batteries arising from business and industry) and on treatment provisions for all batteries and BERR are leading on automotive/industrial batteries and single market provisions. For further information on producer responsibility for batteries or other sources of information, visit the Defra, BERR and WRAP web pages.
Businesses that produce and sell batteries may be affected by this Directive. It aims to make these companies responsible for the collection and recycling of used batteries.

The definition of the different types of batteries and the associated targets are detailed in the table below. Currently the UK recycles approximately 90% of all lead acid industrial and automotive batteries and only approximately 3% of non-lead acid industrial and portable batteries. The reasons for such a low recycling rate is that there is substantial cost for relatively low collection weights which mean it is not necessarily economically viable to recycle portable batteries. In comparison, landfill is still relatively inexpensive. Batteries currently collected in the UK are usually sent overseas for recycling because the UK does not currently have full recycling processes for Alkaline Manganese and Zinc Carbon batteries (80% by weight of batteries placed on the market).

In addition to collection targets, there are recycling efficiency targets (by average weight) which come in five years after the Regulations come into effect. These targets are: