News
Environmental Update (June 2009)
Batteries Regulations laid before Parliament
The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(BERR) and the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs
(Defra), working closely with the Devolved Administrations and the
environment agencies, have produced regulations that establish the
legislative framework for the collection, treatment and recycling
of waste batteries and accumulators in the UK. The Waste
Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 complement the
existing Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market)
Regulations 2008, which set out the requirements for introducing
new batteries onto the market as of September last year. The
majority of the new regulations applied from May 2009.
Government guidance has been produced which is intended to help
those businesses placing batteries and accumulators, or products
that may contain or incorporate batteries and accumulators on the
UK market. The guidance is also of interest to those that sell
portable batteries to consumers and those collecting, treating,
recycling or exporting waste batteries.
The regulations affect the whole of the UK, however, there are
also supplementary regulations for both Northern Ireland and
Scotland.
The guidance covers:
- producer obligations in respect of industrial, automotive and
portable battery producers
- portable battery compliance schemes
- distributors of portable batteries
- local authorities
- treatment and recycling of waste batteries
- Waste battery exporter obligations
- business or other premises where automotive batteries
arise
- guidance for battery consumers
In addition, in the annex there is a flow diagram to assist with
determining battery type and information on what should be included
in an application for registration of producers.
The guidance is available at:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51268.pdf
The Regulations can be found at: - http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/pdf/uksi_20090890_en.pdf
The Explanatory Note can be found at:-http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/em/uksiem_20090890_en.pdf