Dublin: Final users of waste batteries are entitled to return them free of charge, either to retail outlets selling equivalent batteries, or other authorised collection points, including local authority civic amenity sites. Importantly no purchase is required in order to return waste batteries.
This results from the new EU Directive on waste batteries that came into effect across the European Union last Friday, 26 September 2008. Ireland has been quick off the mark and had the Directive fully transposed and implemented from the commencement date. Previous Directives for batteries contained no recycling or collection targets resulting in many batteries going to landfill.
Producers will be responsible for the financing of the collection, treatment, and recycling and environmentally sound management of waste batteries. The targets for portable batteries to be met under the Directive are challenging: producers must collect 25% of what they place on the market by 2012 and 45% by 2016.
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, has approved two producer collective compliance schemes to be run by European WEEE Platform Ireland Ltd. (ERP) and WEEE Ireland. The schemes are also involved in the recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
The Batteries Working Group - which was established in July 2006, and includes representatives of the battery industry, retailers, manufacturers, IBEC, SIMI, the waste management sector, local authorities and the EPA - was responsible for producing the battery take-back scheme.
The Minister said:
“Exploiting synergies with existing WEEE collection and recycling systems will help ensure that Ireland meets it collection targets.
“As with all waste streams, every effort should be made to minimise the volume of waste batteries. Therefore, I would urge the public to consider the use of re-chargeable batteries. The battery recycling schemes are part of a permanent regime, underpinned by regulations aimed at improving the environmental performance of all those who manufacture, distribute, sell or use batteries. All stakeholders need to ensure that the critical start-up phase is managed effectively so that the new scheme can move forward on a sound basis”, the Minister concluded.
Further information
Further information can be found at the Batteries page or the WEEE page, of the Department's website.