The data also shows that about 17% more batteries were placed on the market in 2009 than had been expected, causing the amount needed to be collected in 2010 to rise. It had been estimated that 40,000 tonnes of batteries were put on the market in 2009 but this figure has now risen to 47,000 tonnes and could go higher.
Overall the figures for the first part of the year are being seen as tricky to base forecasts on for how 2010 will turn out. Battery recycling rules kicked in on January 1 this year requiring distributors/retailers to collect 10% of the volume of batteries they placed on the market in 2009 through a battery compliance scheme in 2010.
The performance for the first three months of 2010 is complicated by several factors:
- Retailers, such as supermarkets, didn't have to put collection containers in store until February
- Some members of the public may have collected batteries ahead of 2010 and only now placed larger amounts out for recycling
- Some recyclers of waste electrical and electronic equipment may have stockpiled batteries and now are putting them into the system
- There are different views over the level of awareness and whether this will increase during the year.
The figures published this week by the Environment Agency are the first to be published since January 1 2010 and have already led to some in the sector claiming the chances of the UK meeting the legally-binding targets set by the EU Batteries Directive for 2012 and 2015 are “increasingly unlikely”.
However, the Environment Agency is remaining optimistic that the targets for 2010 will be met. Bob Mead, batteries project manager at the Environment Agency, described the performance as “solid”. He said: “I am not disappointed by the figures. One set of data is insufficient to make predictions.”
Mr Mead added: “The government in its impact assessment suggested historic recycling rates of 2-3% a year for portable batteries, so 8% in the first quarter of 2010 can't be a bad start.”
But, looking ahead, Mr Mead declared: “No one is under any illusions how hard this is.” In terms of the increased obligation base figure now at 47,000 tonnes, Mr Mead said that this had risen because of new distributors coming forward as well as amendments being submitted to original figures.
The Environment Agency official said that he did not expect many more changes and that if distributors handling around the one tonne mark came forward and opted to join schemes, this would only mean that additional sums of 100kg would be required per distributor.
On publicity, Mr Mead confirmed that “the ball is now in the court of the compliance schemes who will be submitting their updated plan for the next three years. 2011 to 2013. We will be reminding the schemes of their obligations of which a key element is communications strategy for the next three years.”
Under the UK regulations, there are interim, non-statutory targets in place for the schemes to collect 10% of the batteries their producer members place on the market in 2010, and 18% in 2011, as staging posts towards the first national target set by the Batteries Directive, which expects a 25% collection rate for 2012.
But, the EA figures show that, of 9,898 tonnes placed on the market by the schemes' producer members in quarter one of 2010, just 849 tonnes were collected.
If these figures were replicated across the year, the schemes would miss their collective goal by 563 tonnes, collecting 3,396 tonnes of 39,592 tonnes.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com about the situation Roger Miller, commercial manager for Veolia, which runs the BatteryBack compliance scheme in partnership with WasteCare, warned that the gap could be greater than suggested by the Q1 figures.
“Q1 is likely to be the lowest reported sales for the year, battery sales increase in Q3 and Q4 because of Christmas trading,” he said, claiming that, for collections to be on-track to reach the 10% figure for 2010 as a whole, over 1,000 tonnes of waste batteries would have needed to be collected in Q1.
Market
No one is under any illusions how hard this is
Bob Mead, Environment Agency
Mr Miller's assertion over the size of the task also appears to be borne out by the increased volume of 46,968 tonnes of batteries put onto the market in 2009 – higher even than the 44,139 tonnes expected in March 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story).
With a similar amount of batteries being put onto the market this year, the 10% target would need 4,697 tonnes of batteries to be collected by schemes, with the 3,396 tonnes they are on track to reach if they replicate Q1 performance across the year only giving a 7.23% rate.
Despite this, BatteryBack stressed that it was “early days” and that collection points were increasing on a daily basis, with WasteCare chief executive Peter Hunt telling letsrecycle.com today that they had seen volumes increasing in recent weeks.
“We have seen a big increase and have put out collection points and are still increasing month on month,” he said, but he also claimed that “already it is losing a bit of momentum and we need to build it”.
BatteryBack has also claimed that its collectors have collected 393 tonnes of the 849 tonnes recorded to date – which it said meant that the other schemes would have only collected 56% of their members' target for Q1.
And, warning of the task ahead, Mr Hunt said: “It is important that battery recycling does not become a passing fad in the minds of consumers. Until the majority of households make a concerted effort to return their unwanted batteries to their nearest recycling point we have little hope of meeting our UK targets for recycling.
“Producers, retailers and the recycling industry, as a whole, all need to be mindful of the potential cost of failure and remember it can take years as well as cost fortunes to change the habits of a nation for good,” he added.
Valpak
Commenting after the publication of the figures, Duncan Simpson, director of marketing at the Valpak compliance scheme, said that he believed that “the collections we have got and the tonnage we're collecting are well and right to meet our obligations for 2010”.
Claiming that the figures showed the battery regulations were working, he pointed towards the fact that they “don't necessarily show everything sitting in containers at the moment”, and added: ” I think the momentum of what we're collecting we'll carry forward.”
However, he claimed that the 2012 target remained “problematic”, and said that Valpak would be taking action to expand its collection network to capture more batteries – though it would be careful not to do so in a way that took batteries away from existing collection avenues.
Budget Pack
His generally positive assessment was echoed by Steve Clark, managing director for the Budget Pack compliance scheme who, after the publication of today's figures, said he was “very happy” with his scheme's progress, adding that: “We are on track with our collection models and growth forecasts for the future.”
Downplaying the significance of the Q1 figures, he said: “Of course, the UK's collected tonnage for Q1 is reported as being lower than the quarter's recycling demand based on 2009 tonnage put on the market but we don't see this as a problem.”
“We always expected to see a slower start in quarter for 2010 than in subsequent months as the collection systems get started and new arrangements are formed. We are seeing larger collection tonnages coming through each month which substantiate this as our marketing and awareness campaigns reach wider audiences,” he added.
ERP
Speaking before the publication of today's figures, Scott Butler, UK manager for the ERP compliance scheme, also said he was “confident” that his scheme would meet its obligation for 2010.
But, he added: “Batteries will be interesting in future years and that's a challenge for government, schemes, collection points and others – how do we get to 45%?”
He explained that, for his scheme, “I think what I am pleased about most is we've got this network which gives us good information about how to develop that network in the future.”
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