EU Calls for Recycling All Batteries

The European Commission has adopted a Proposal for a new Battery Directive, which will require the collection and recycling of all batteries placed on the EU market. It aims to prevent spent batteries ending up in incinerators or landfills and therefore to recover the various metals used in batteries.

The proposed Directive aims to create an EU-wide framework for national battery collection and recycling schemes and will enhance the proper functioning of the internal market.

An extended impact assessment, carried out by the Commission in the preparation of this Proposal, has identified the proposed measures as the most sustainable policy options from environmental, economic and social points of view.

“By aiming to ensure that no spent batteries leak out of the collection and recycling system, this proposal will protect us and the environment from the risks that old batteries pose when they are incinerated or end up in landfills,” said Margot Wallström, commissioner for the Environment. “Discussions on a new Battery Directive have been on-going for several years and today we are presenting a concrete and well-balanced Proposal. Its implementation will encourage environmentally friendly behavior from all actors involved in the battery life-cycle. Most importantly, consumers will have to contribute to environmental protection by bringing back their spent batteries to collection points.”

The EU estimates that approximately 800,000 metric tons of automotive batteries, 190,000 metric tons of industrial batteries and 160,000 metric tons of portable (consumer) batteries are placed on the EU market annually.

In its proposal, the EU said that existing EU legislation on batteries has failed to adequately control the risks posed by batteries in the waste stream and to create a homogeneous framework for battery collection and recycling. As existing legislation only applies to batteries containing certain quantities of cadmium, mercury or lead it covers only 7 percent of the all portable batteries placed on the EU market annually. Its limited scope has led to inefficiencies in national battery collection and recycling schemes.

The purpose of the proposal is twofold: It aims to establish a closed-loop system for all batteries to avoid their incineration or disposal in landfill when they reach the end of their lives. On the basis of the closed-loop system, all batteries will have to be collected and recycled, and their metals will be re-introduced in the economic cycle. Secondly, it sets minimum rules for the functioning of national collection and recycling schemes in order to enhance the proper functioning of the internal market and guarantee a level playing field for all the actors involved in the battery life-cycle.

In order to prevent batteries from entering the waste stream, the proposed Directive puts forward a number of different measures and targets:

Ban on landfilling/incineration. Automotive and industrial batteries, which are mainly lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries, are already being collected effectively, because of the positive value of recycled lead and the availability of collection schemes of industrial nickel-cadmium batteries. In order to guarantee a 100 percent collection of those batteries, it is proposed to ban their landfilling and incineration.

Collection targets. For portable batteries a ban would be difficult to enforce because of their smaller size and wider range of users (both professionals and consumers). Therefore, Member States will be required to set up national collection systems to allow consumers to return spent portable batteries free of charge. The proposed target, on the basis of which the efficiency of the national collection system will be evaluated, is 160 grams per inhabitant and year. This target, which was identified by the Extended Impact Assessment as the most cost-efficient target, corresponds roughly to four - five portable batteries per person per year.

Portable nickel-cadmium batteries are of special concern due to the cadmium they contain. Their collection is covered by the 160 grams-target. However, it is proposed to set an additional collection target, as a safeguard to ensure that those batteries do not end up in the dustbin. This additional target is set at 80 percent of all portable nickel-cadmium batteries generated annually in each Member State. This is the amount of portable nickel-cadmium batteries collected plus the amount of portable nickel-cadmium batteries found in the municipal solid waste stream. Member States will thus be obliged to monitor the quantities of portable nickel-cadmium batteries discarded in the municipal solid waste stream. On the basis of these monitoring results, the Commission may also, if necessary, propose additional risk management measures in the future.

Recycling targets and recycling efficiencies. As a principle, after collection all batteries should be sent to recycling facilities in order to close the materials loop. The Proposal sets high recycling targets, which nonetheless make allowance for the fact that some portable batteries collected are technically not in a condition to be recycled (100 percent for automotive and industrial batteries and at least 90 percent portable batteries).

In addition, it proposes minimum recycling efficiencies, which focuses on the output of the recycling process. The recycling process of lead-acid batteries should recover all the lead and 65 percent of the average weight of those batteries. The recycling process of nickel-cadmium batteries should recover all the cadmium and at least 75 percent of the average weight of those batteries. For other batteries, the recycling process should recover 55 percent of the average weight.

In order to contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market, treatment operations taking place abroad will count for achieving the recycling requirements for the exporting Member State. For all types of batteries, the producers would be responsible for costs related to the collection, treatment and recycling. For spent portable batteries, the collection costs could be shared with the national, regional or local authorities. For spent industrial and automotive batteries, producers could conclude agreements on financing with their users. Member States will have to keep a register with all battery producers who will have to provide financial guarantees that they are able to manage spent batteries prior to placing their products on the market. Furthermore, producers are allowed to use a "visible fee" on new battery sales for a maximum of four years after implementation.