Welcome to the letsrecycle.com battery recycling section.

Battery recycling is a relatively new field for the UK. While we recycle more than 90% of our lead acid batteries - those used in vehicles - just 4% of the non-lead acid waste batteries produced each year in the UK are recycled.

This means that of about 25,000 tonnes of waste household and industrial batteries generated in the UK each year, just 1,000 tonnes is recycled.

Other European countries have more impressive recycling rates and their own battery re-processing facilities, but these are often subsidised by the state. In the UK, some councils do now offer battery recycling services and, while there are no obligations on local authorities to do so, recycling batteries does count towards their recycling targets.

However, the situation is set to change with a dramatic increase in battery recycling stemming from the UK's adoption of the European Battery Directive. This requires manufacturers and importers to fund collections and recycling for spent batteries.

A revision of a largely toothless existing Directive, this new Directive includes collection and reprocessing targets for portable batteries, while all industrial and automotive batteries are to be collected for recycling.

But, the Directive places no legal responsibility on councils to arrange for the recycling of batteries from the household waste stream.

The first 25% collection target for portable batteries is expected to be achieved by the UK by September 2012, but reprocessing targets for collected batteries must be achieved from 2010.

The UK is implementing the requirements of the Directive in two stages: regulations for producers placing new batteries onto the market were introduced in September 2008 while regulations for the collection, transport and recycling of waste batteries - using a multiple producer compliance scheme system – are now scheduled to formally come into effect on January 1, 2010.

To follow the progression of battery recycling in the UK, as reported by letsrecycle.com, click on the dates below:

February 2009: BERR has appointed the National Weights and Measurements Laboratory - an executive agency of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills - to ensure battery producers adhere to the Battery Regulations for placing new batteries on the market.

January 2009: The government's proposals for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste portable batteries have come under fire from battery manufacturers and potential compliance schemes.

December 2008: The government has launched a second consultation on the proposed UK system for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste batteries.

December 2008: BERR has revealed that it does not expect regulations for the collection, treatment and recycling of waste batteries to come into force until 2010.

November 2008: The results of WRAP's three-year-long battery collection trials have suggested that council-operated kerbside schemes are the most cost-effective way to collect household batteries.

October 2008: Defra officials are stepping up work on plans for battery recycling in the wake of a warning from the EU that it will take action against member states if they don't 'rapidly implement' the Batteries Directive.

September 2008: BERR has published regulations that govern the placing of batteries onto the market – the first half of the UK system for meeting the Batteries Directive.

August 2008: Regulations for producers placing new batteries on the market have been published in full, ahead of their introduction on September 26.

July 2008: BERR has revealed that the UK will use a multiple producer compliance system to meet its battery collection and recycling targets.

April 2008: Responses to Defra's consultation on the implementation of the Batteries Directive have revealed local authority and WRAP support for a single producer compliance scheme system.

April 2008: Campaigners opposed to commingled recycling have warned that adding batteries to such recycling schemes may lead to "serious" contamination problems.

March 2008: As the government consultation on battery recycling draws to an end, doubts have emerged about collecting batteries from the kerbside.

For stories previous to this, please visit the news archive.