Product 3

QQQQ copy.gif

Directive relating to Batteries and Accumulators – 2006/66/EC (2008/12/EC amending the implementing powers conferred on the Commission) – EU Directive on batteries and accumulators containing certain dangerous substances

Act

Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC

Act	Entry into force	Transposition in the Member States
Directive 2006/66/EC	26.9.2006	28.9.2008
Amending act(s)	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States
Directive 2008/12/EC	20.3.2008	-

Requirements of the Directive

(1) The Directive specifies the following requirements on toxic elements

(effective date: 6 September 2008):

Limit (by weight)

Mercury (Hg)* 0.0005% (batteries and accumulators)

Cadmium (Cd) 0.002% (portable batteries and accumulators)

*Button Cells having mercury content of less than 2 % are exempt from the Directive

(2) The importer / manufacturer should join a collective scheme:

Importers and manufacturers shall provide at least for the financing of the collection,

treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of battery waste.

Importers and manufacturers shall meet the targets for recovery of electronic wastes as

specified in the Directive.

See "Recycling of Battery and Accumulator" below for more details

(3) Labelling is required (effective date: 6 September 2009):

(i) visible, legible and indelible markings on batteries, accumulators and battery packs with the "symbol of the crossed-out wheeled bin";

Battery Symbol.jpg

Symbol of the crossed-out wheeled bin

The symbol should cover at least 3 % of the area of the largest side of the battery, accumulator or battery pack, up to a maximum size of 5 × 5 cm. In the case of cylindrical cells, the symbol shall cover at least 1.5 % of the surface area of the battery or accumulator and shall have a maximum size of 5 × 5 cm.

Where the size of the battery, accumulator or battery pack is such that the symbol would be smaller than 0,5 × 0,5 cm, the battery, accumulator or battery pack need not be marked but a symbol measuring at least 1 × 1 cm should be printed on the packaging. Symbols should be printed visibly, legibly and indelibly.

(ii) the capacity of the accumulator or the portable battery;

(iii) the chemical symbols Hg, Cd and Pb if the batteries, accumulators or button cells contain over 0.0005% mercury**, over 0.002% cadmium** or over 0.004% lead.

The chemical symbol indicating the heavy metal content should be printed beneath the "symbol of the crossed-out wheeled bin" and cover an area of at least one-quarter the size of that symbol.

Note: ** 0.0005% for mercury and 0.002% for cadmium are the same in value as the limits shown in section (1) above. It is intended, therefore, that the only batteries needing these chemical symbols are of the types taking advantage of the relevant exemptions as specified in the Directive.

(4) End-users are to be informed in various ways:

(i) through campaigns covering, among other things, the potential effects on the environment and human health of the substances used in batteries and accumulators, and the collection and recycling arrangements at the end-users' disposal;

(ii) being directly informed by distributors that they can discard waste batteries and accumulators at sales points;

Recycling of Battery and Accumulator

The recycling of battery and accumulator content to produce similar products or for other purposes has to reach the following levels by 26 September 2011:

at least 65% by average weight of lead-acid batteries and accumulators, including the recycling of the lead content to the highest degree that is technically feasible;

75% by average weight of nickel-cadmium batteries and accumulators, including the recycling of the lead content to the highest degree that is technically feasible;

at least 50% by average weight of other battery and accumulator waste.

To ensure that a high proportion of spent batteries and accumulators are recycled, Member States must take whatever measures are needed (including economic instruments) to promote and maximise separate waste collections and prevent batteries and accumulators being thrown away as unsorted municipal refuse. They have to make arrangements enabling end-users to discard spent batteries and accumulators at collection points in their vicinity and have them taken back at no charge by the producers. Collection rates of at least 25% and 45% have to be reached by 26 September 2012 and 26 September 2016 respectively.

In principle, it must be possible to remove batteries and accumulators readily and safely. It is for Member States to ensure that manufacturers design their appliances accordingly.

Member States also have to ensure that, from 26 September 2009 at the latest, batteries and accumulators that have been collected are treated and recycled using the best available techniques. Recycling must exclude energy recovery.

As a minimum, treatment must include removal of all fluids and acids. Batteries and accumulators must be treated and stored (even if only temporarily) in sites with impermeable surfaces and weatherproof covering, or in suitable containers.

If there is no viable end market, or if a detailed assessment of environmental, economic and social impact concludes that recycling is not the best solution, Member States may dispose of batteries and accumulators containing cadmium, mercury or lead in landfills or underground storage. Otherwise, it is prohibited to put waste from industrial and automotive batteries and accumulators into landfill, or to incinerate it; only residues from treating and recycling them may be disposed of in these ways.

Treatment and recycling may take place outside the Member State concerned or even outside the Community, provided EU legislation on the shipment of waste is respected.

The producers have to bear the cost of collecting, treating and recycling industrial, automotive and portable batteries and accumulators, as well as the costs of campaigns to inform the public of these arrangements. Small producers may be exempted from this obligation if this does not impede the proper functioning of the collection and recycling schemes. All producers of batteries and accumulators have to be registered.

Objectives of the Directive

This Directive prohibits the placing on the market of most batteries and accumulators with a certain mercury or cadmium content and establishes rules for the collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of batteries and accumulators.

The Directive prohibits the placing on the market of certain batteries and accumulators with a proportional mercury or cadmium content above a fixed threshold. In addition, it promotes a high rate of collection and recycling of waste batteries and accumulators and improvement in the environmental performance of all involved in the life-cycle of batteries and accumulators, including their recycling and disposal.

The aim is to cut the amount of hazardous substances - in particular, mercury, cadmium and lead - dumped in the environment; this should be done by reducing the use of these substances in batteries and accumulators and by treating and re-using the amounts that are used.

The Directive applies to all types of batteries and accumulators, apart from those used in equipment to protect Member States' security or for military purposes, or in equipment designed to be sent into space. It therefore covers a wider range of products than Directive 91/157/EEC, which applied only to batteries containing mercury, lead or cadmium, and excluded "button cells".

Environmental Pollution

The toxic elements Cadmium / Mercury / Lead can be released from waste hauling / disposal activities of batteries and accumulators. Higher levels of these toxic elements may be found in soil or water near hazardous waste sites, posing health hazards to human beings through the food chain.

The environment and public health can be safeguarded through the enforcement of the Directive.