batteries

Batteries are used to power lots of items, from children's toys to mobile phones and cars. They can contain harmful substances e.g. lead, mercury, and cadmium. These can cause serious pollution and health problems.

Type		Uses		Recommended disposal
General - e.g. zinc carbon / zinc chloride / alkaline manganese		Low drainage appliances like torches, clocks, shavers, and radios. Personal stereos, radio-cassette players. These make up the majority of the battery market		These are not considered hazardous and can be disposed of with general household waste
Rechargeable - e.g. nickel cadmium / nickel metal hydride / lithium ion		Cordless power tools, personal stereos, portable telephones, laptop computers, shavers, motorised toys etc, with a life of 4-5 years. Nickel hydride and lithium are environmentally friendlier than nickel cadmium, with a longer life		These all contain hazardous metals, and should be returned to the supplier. Some large manufacturers operate take-back schemes e.g. EverReady, Bosch, Draper Tools, and Duracell
Primary button cells - mercuric oxide / zinc air / silver oxide / lithium		Hearing aids, pacemakers, photographic equipment, radio pagers, electronic watches and calculators		Due to the nature of these products, most button cell batteries are replaced by manufacturers or retailers e.g. jewellers who often recycle them

EC Directive on batteries

On 20 December 2004 the EU Council of Ministers reached political agreement on a draft directive on batteries and accumulators. This draft agreement has now been passed to the European Parliament for further discussion. The new Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry (formerly the DTI) are leading on negotiations at EU level, and member states will have 24 months to implement the directive once it has been agreed.

The government anticipates that the Batteries Directive will enter into force in Europe by mid 2006, with UK legislation in place in 2008.

The draft directive aims to:

• contribute to a high level of environmental protection
• maximise the separate collection and recycling of spent batteries and accumulators
• reduce the disposal of batteries and accumulators in the municipal waste stream

The new directive will cover all batteries regardless of shape, volume, weight, material composition or use. Batteries used specifically for military applications or in equipment designed to be sent into space are excluded from the scope of the directive.

The UK currently collects less than 2% of used portable batteries for recycling, but recycles approx 90% of spent automotive and industrial lead-acid batteries. Therefore, the main focus for improvement in the UK will be to improve the collection and recycling rates of domestic portable batteries.

Read more about the Directive on batteries on the Valpak website.

Further information on batteries and recycling can be found on the British Battery Manufacturers Association website and www.rebat.com