Today the paper was published by two government departments because of the way the UK has chosen to tackle the new Directive – the first Batteries Directive primarily covered hazardous batteries.
By throwing household batteries in the bin not only are we contributing to what's sent to landfill, we are throwing away potential resources.
Joan Ruddock
The paper reveals that in the UK about 30,000 tonnes of household portable batteries are put on the market each year. A minimum collection rate of 25% must be achieved by 2012 rising to 45% by 2016. The current collection rate is 3% or 600 tonnes, and will need to be raised to 7,500 tonnes in 2012.
And the paper suggests that with costs in excess of £1,000 a tonne for sorting and recycling portable batteries, councils might prefer to focus on other materials because £1,000 would “buy much larger tonnages of other materials which contribute to the achievement of Best Value Performance indicators”.
To collect household batteries two compliance scheme options are put forward, along with a third suggestion of taking-back spent batteries to retailers. And, extrapolating current data, the paper suggests that kerbside schemes alone would fail to collect the number of batteries needed.
Challenge
BERR – the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform – will have responsibility for meeting targets for industrial and automotive batteries and is the lead department on the Directive.
However, the biggest challenge under the Directive is being faced by Defra – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has the responsibility for portable batteries, principally those used in the home such as in torches, toys and elsewhere.
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, who handles WEEE and battery recycling at BERR, said today: “Christmas gifts – from toys to sat navs – opened in British households next week will contain millions of batteries. Many of these will contribute to the 700 million batteries that go to UK landfill each year. This is clearly not good for the environment and that's why we've signed up to these tough, but I believe achievable, targets.”
Summarising the consultation paper, BERR and Defra said that “the proposed schemes require producers to support arrangements for collection, treatment and recycling, in either a centralised way, or through multiple, local compliance schemes. These schemes would undertake administration, data reporting and publicity.” And, the document will also aim to ensure that legislation is “proportionate to producers of all sizes”.
Speaking for Defra, recycling minister Joan Ruddock said: “People have a vital role to play in helping government to ensure waste is dealt with in an effective and sustainable way. If we are to protect our environment we must reduce the amount of waste that's sent to landfill.
“By throwing household batteries in the bin not only are we contributing to what's sent to landfill, we are throwing away potential resources that could be put to good use if they were recycled. If disposed of incorrectly, even household batteries can pose an environmental risk.”
Proposals
The proposals seek to find methods for achieving the following targets and objectives:
- Collection targets for waste household batteries of 25% of sales by 2012, rising to 45% by 2016;
- Prohibition on household batteries with high levels of cadmium (with some exceptions) and continued restrictions on use of mercury;
- Clearer labelling with capacity, chemical symbol and “wheelie bin” collection symbols;
- Various producer responsibilities, including a ban on disposal of industrial and automotive batteries in landfill or by incineration (in effect a 100% recycling target);
- Responsibility for producers of appliances to ensure batteries can be readily removed for easy collection, treatment and recycling;
- and, Responsibility for retailers to take back waste household batteries at no charge to consumers.
Automotive and Industrial
BERR is thought to be relatively confident that existing market mechanisms, which for example see nearly all vehicle lead-acid batteries recovered because of the material value, will deliver recycling levels that meet and exceed Directive targets.
But, mechanisms are to be put in place that could bring in more producer responsibility should, for example, the value of used lead plummet. If this happened manufacturers and retailers would face legislative measures.
The consultation paper presents two options for spent industrial batteries and two options for automotive batteries.
Portable (“household”) batteries
Looking at portable household batteries, the paper notes that some collections are carried out now, partly by kerbside schemes, by or with the involvement of G&P Batteries, Cleanaway, ECT Recycling and Loddon Holdings. [Editor's note: Cleanaway was acquired by Veolia Environmental Services in 2006]
But, the paper signals that the kerbside collections which currently exist show that kerbside schemes alone might fail to capture enough batteries. The document says: “Extrapolation of the WRAP data for the kerbside trials would suggest that, in an ideal scenario where every local authority provided kerbside collection to every UK household (22 million) at current collection rates, 2,000 tonnes of batteries would be collected using kerbside collection. The remainder of batteries would need to be collected from other sources which could potentially include retailer take back, community drop off and the commercial sector.
Separate system
Defra is suggesting a compliance scheme solution as the two options for collecting batteries. But, it also talks in the consultation paper of retailer take-back, even though there is no detailed explanation as how this “third option” would work. However, it appears that this will be essential as a separate system running alongside a compliance scheme solution although it might even be run by a compliance scheme. This take back route is one that is currently offered by some retailers for WEEE.
The main question in the two options concerns compliances schemes (such as those that operate for packaging waste), and whether there should be one compliance scheme or several organising battery collections.
The full consultation paper is expected to be published on Department websites today (December 20).
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