The Battery Regulations

Effective date

The regulations came into force on 5th May 2009, with the exception of certain provisions that will come into effect at a date to be confirmed.

Summary

These regulations set out requirements for collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of all waste battery types, and includes the arrangements by which the UK intends to meet waste portable battery collection targets of 25% by 2012 and 45% by 2016.

Description

The legal and financial responsibilities for ensuring that waste batteries are collected, delivered, accepted and processed lie with the ‘Producer’ of the batteries.

A ‘Producer’ is defined as a company or organization that places a battery on sale in the UK for the first time on a professional basis.

It is intended that Battery Compliance Schemes will be created to manage the relationships between battery producers, collection companies and those authorised to process and export batteries for recycling.

Battery Compliance Schemes will bear a legal obligation to achieve both the designated collection targets for each of their Members (the battery producers) and the prescribed recycling and recovery targets as laid down in the regulations.

Batteries have been sub-divided into three categories, each with different legal obligations:

Portable Batteries

Any battery or battery pack that is sealed, can be carried by an individual without difficulty and is not an automotive or industrial battery. This includes both primary batteries (single use batteries) and accumulators (rechargeable batteries).

Examples include: AA, AAA, D type batteries etc used for household appliances; mobile phone and laptop batteries; button cells and rechargeable batteries for DIY power tools.

Industrial Batteries

A battery or battery pack of any size or weight that is designed exclusively for industrial or professional use, is used as a source of power for electric or hybrid vehicles, is unsealed but is not an automotive battery, or is sealed but is not classified as a portable battery.

Examples include batteries designed for handheld terminals or barcode readers used in shops, warehouses, restaurants, or by delivery drivers, batteries used in professional equipment e.g. video equipment or professional studios, buggy or golf cart batteries and batteries found in boats or yachts.

Automotive Batteries

A battery of any size or weight that is used for the starting or ignition of the engine of a road going vehicle, or a vehicle with the potential of being road going.

Examples include batteries used in cars, motorcycles, vans, trucks, buses and tractors.

How it affects you

Companies and organisations that use batteries in the course of their everyday operations will be encouraged by the Government (Via BERR and Defra) to make arrangements for collection of their waste batteries through one of the Battery Compliance Schemes.

How Grundon can help

Grundon will continue to accept waste batteries, both as separately collected fractions and from components within mixed loads e.g. Haz-Box collections.

All batteries will be processed via our Ewelme transfer station, where they will be separated into their respective categories and chemistries.

We have already established a relationship with a large organisation registering to operate a Battery Compliance Scheme, enabling us to ensure that the batteries are recycled according to the regulations.

Grundon also has long established relationships with recyclers of both industrial and automotive batteries (ABTOs and ABEs), thus ensuring compliance with the new regulations.

End users of batteries can therefore have complete confidence that Grundon will manage their waste in full compliance with the new Battery Regulations.

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