Are you a Producer of Industrial or Automotive Batteries (I&A producer)? If so Regulations 35 to 46 of the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (as amended) create obligations and you must make statements about your take back arrangements on the company website.
The Vehicle Certification Agency is the enforcement body (for all UK). The VCA Helpline is 0300 330 5799.
Producers are defined as; “…. any person in the United Kingdom that, irrespective of the selling technique used [distance sellers included] places batteries, including those incorporated into appliances or vehicles, on the market for the first time in the United Kingdom on a professional basis”.
An industrial battery means any battery or battery pack of any size or weight which is:
* designed exclusively for industrial or professional uses;
* used as a source of power for propulsion in an electric vehicle or a “hybrid” vehicle (i.e. a vehicle with both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine);
* unsealed but is not an automotive battery; or
* sealed but is not classed as a portable battery.
An automotive battery means a battery of any size or weight that is used for the starting or ignition of an engine of a road going vehicle or for providing power for any lighting used by such a vehicle.
VCA enforcement action takes a risk-based approach – priorities in the next months are:
* continuing with enforcement work re the websites of I&A producers – these websites should have the required wording offering appropriate take back of waste batteries.
* drawing up a template for producers to use as wording on their sites.
A Cardinal Environment customer reports the following suggested wording being emailed to it:
Industrial Batteries
As a producer of industrial batteries under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, we (insert your company name here) produce (chemistry type of industrial batteries placed or intended to be placed on the market during this year and the preceding three years) batteries. We are obliged to collect, free of charge and within a reasonable time, waste industrial batteries supplied to an end user, for treatment and recycling. We are required to do this for any calendar year we place new industrial batteries on the market.
If any of our customers require us to take back Industrial batteries, they should contact us at (insert contact details, e.g. telephone, email, address, etc.).
We will agree the necessary arrangements for the return, proper treatment and recycling of, the waste industrial batteries.
Automotive batteries
As a producer of automotive batteries under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, we (insert your company name here) are obliged to collect, free of charge and within a reasonable time, waste automotive batteries for treatment and recycling supplied to a final holders e.g. garages, scrap yards, end-of-life vehicle Authorised Treatment Facilities, Civic Amenity Sites, etc. We are required to do this in any calendar year we place new automotive batteries on the market.
If any of our customers require us to take back Automotive batteries, they should contact us at (insert contact details, e.g. telephone, email, address, etc.). We will agree the necessary arrangements for the return, proper treatment and recycling of, the waste automotive batteries.
Cardinal Environment Limited's Blog 