May 2 â€" EU parliament to back battery recycling plan
The European Union is voting on legislation to establish a battery recycling directive among all member states. The intent of the directive is to “close the loop” for all primary and rechargeable batteries ('portable' and 'cadmium') placed on the market and place the responsibility of battery collection, transportation and recycling on the shoulders of the producers. The directive will ascertain specific goals for battery collection and set minimum rules for national collection and recycling schemes in order to enhance the market and guarantee a level playing field for all the actors involved in the battery life-cycle. To this end, the directive introduces producer responsibility for the waste management of all batteries placed on the market.
BRUSSELS (MarketWatch) -- European Union legislators will agree new rules Tuesday on collecting and recycling batteries in a bid to limit pollution caused by their incineration and burial in leaky landfill sites, a program estimated to cost industry at least EUR200 million.
At a meeting in Brussels later Tuesday, representatives of the European Parliament, national governments and the European Commission are expected to agree on rules that have been under fierce discussion since they were first suggested in 2003, say E.U. officials and lobbyists.
The new rules impose targets for collecting defunct batteries ranging from regular AA batteries to those used in mobile phones and laptops. By 2012, a quarter of all batteries sold must be collected once they run out. By 2016, the target rises to 45%.
Last year, CAW passed AB 1125 (Pavley), the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act, which requires retailers to take back used rechargeable batteries for recycling at no cost to the consumer. In light of the state prohibition of all batteries from every landfill in California, CAW is giving battery recycling legislation another go-around. AB 2271 (Koretz) will establish a ten-cent Consumer Refund Value (CRV) on all household batteries and will create a battery collection infrastructure in California. The bill also provides funding from manufacturers to cover battery collection, transportation and handling costs as well as funding allocated to local governments, public outreach, and grants. TAKE ACTION on this issue!