Extended Producer Responsibility for Batteries

We can help your business to prepare for Extended Producer Responsibility for Batteries

The Government consulted industry on extended producer responsibility (EPR) proposals for packaging waste in Spring 2021 and intends to consult on  introducing similar measures for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in mid to late 2022.

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Initial proposals for introducing EPR to the waste batteries sector are not expected until late 2022 or early 2023.

EPR measures introduced to the UK’s waste batteries producer responsibility system may be impacted by the Regulation proposed by the European Commission in December 2020.  As it stands, per the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland will be required to follow the terms of the EU’s proposed Regulation when it is implemented.

We will make sure that our compliance scheme members are kept up-to-date with any changes and notified of consultations via customer mailings and webinars.

Button Cell Batteries

How Valpak can help

Initial proposals for introducing EPR to the waste batteries sector are not expected until late 2021 or even early 2022.

Our Policy Department works to keep our customers up-to-date with all new legislation and requirements that may impact them, and provides information, updates and support via:

Our 25 years’ experience means we have the knowledge and experience to handle compliance on our customers’ behalf.

We can also help with EPR internationally, where regulations already exist, via our International Compliance Service.

FAQs

It is not yet known what specific proposals Government will seek industry views on when they hold a public consultation within the next 12 months. It is however expected that reforms will:

  • seek to encourage higher recycling rates for non-lead acid portable batteries
  • resolve the imbalance in the reporting of waste batteries across chemistry types
  • explore the potential merits of increasing the waste battery collection points network, for example through encouraging greater kerbside collections, or instructing more distributors to take back waste batteries

The Government will attempt to introduce EPR throughout the UK’s wider resources and waste sector. It is expected that proposals to reform the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations will seek to:

    • ensure fees payable by batteries producers more closely reflect treatment costs

and

  • sufficiently fund communications to boost consumer awareness of the importance of battery recycling
  • address non-complying internet sellers of batteries
  • install new mandatory recycling labelling requirements

Following the UK’s separation from the EU and per the terms of the trade agreement signed in December 2020, Northern Ireland remains a UK nation but must continue to abide by EU rules in multiple regulatory areas. This means that the EU’s rules governing batteries and waste batteries producer responsibility continue to apply to Northern Ireland.

In late 2020, the European Commission proposed to repeal and replace their existing batteries producer responsibility rules to establish new labelling requirements, recycling and recycled content targets and EPR requirements for producers and distributors for batteries.

If accepted, it is proposed that these rules will apply to all EU Member States as well as Northern Ireland from 1st January 2022. As a result, Northern Ireland may be subject to different batteries producer responsibility rules in comparison to Great Britain should the UK Government not choose to emulate the EU’s proposed rules.

Extended Producer Responsibility is only one aspect of the legislation proposed under waste legislation reforms. Visit our Plastic Packaging Tax and Deposit Return Schemes pages for further information.

 

Make an Enquiry

To find out more about how we can help your business to prepare for Extended Producer Responsibility for Batteries, contact one of our experts on 03450 682 572 or complete our enquiry form.