It has been revealed this month that Britain is failing to meet key European Union targets on battery recycling. Directive 2006/66/EC, on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries, states that the UK must recycle 25% of batteries sold in the country, rising to 45% by 2016. However, the UK currently recycles just 2% according to Government figures.
Joan Ruddock, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said, "Most of the 25-30,000 tonnes of portable batteries placed on the market each year are sent to landfill. At present only about 600 tonnes are collected for recycling.
In other batteries news, one of the largest battery recycling firms in Europe, Citron SA, has made its facilities available to customers in the UK through a scheme operated by Hampshire-based firm Loddon Recycling. The Citron Recycle scheme will see a UK-wide collection network developed by Lodden, with batteries being transported to Citron's recycling facility in the port of Le Havre in Northern France, where they will be broken down at high temperatures.
The service will be offered to businesses and local authorities, providing them with the chance to recycle more batteries ahead of the implementation of Directive 2006/66/EC. This implementation is currently being consulted on, with separate draft legislation expected soon relating to the marketing of new batteries as well as environmental protection provisions on the collection, treatment and recycling of waste batteries.
