Batteries
Overview
Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers have an Extended Producer Responsibility [1] for batteries in order to control their levels of mercury, cadmium and lead, assist their recycling through clear labelling and ensure that on disposal they are properly treated and recycled, rather than being sent for incineration or to landfill, both of which are illegal [2]
The Regulations [3] cover all batteries, regardless of whether they are in products and divided into:
- An automotive battery
- An industrial battery
- A portable battery
The sections that follow on battery types only breakdown two types of batteries - representing that reported by WasteDataFlow managed by local authorities.
Macro Tonnages
The most recent information published by DEFRA [4] [5] is summarized in the pie chart below, showing 128,303 tonnes of batteries and accumulators generated in the UK in 2016 and is part of the broader tonnage summarized in UK Waste Tonnage:
The macro picture does not breakdown into the respective types of batteries but recent reports [6] suggest that 17,427 tonnes of batteries were collected in 2017 achieving a 44.89% collection rate against the 45% collection target with a high reliance on lead acid batteries.
The macro numbers are therefroe distorted by the broader category that it represents, and the tonnage in the following sections managed by local authorities represent around 10,000 tonnes out of around 17,000 tonnes (notwithstanding the difference in dates of the data reported).
Automotive Batteries
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
Post Consumer, Non-automotive Batteries
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
References
- ↑ gov.uk website Waste batteries:producer responsibility
- ↑ gov.uk website: Regulations: batteries and waste batteries
- ↑ The underpinning legislation is: The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 (as amended) and the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (as amended)
- ↑ Digest of Waste Resources 2018 reporting data from 2016
- ↑ UK Statistics on Waste 2019 updating some of the 2018 Digest with 2017 data
- ↑ Letsrecycle news item August 2018