Retailers will have to take back old batteries

There is an update to this story - please click on this link to the story about UK stalls battery recycling scheme.

All retailers selling batteries will be forced to accept waste batteries from the public free of charge, even if replacements are not being bought, from 26 September.

The requirement, coming into force on 26 September, is stipulated under the European Union Batteries Directive, which aims to prevent harmful materials such as mercury, lead and cadmium contained in batteries from ending up in landfill.

The ruling to take back spent batteries will apply to any shop, including newsagents, convenience stores and supermarkets, selling batteries. Although the customer does not have to be buying replacements, the only stipulation is that the type of batteries being returned must be available for sale in the shop.

Shops will not have to dispose of the batteries. This responsibility lies with the manufacturers who will have to finance the collection, treatment, recycling and environmentally sound disposal of waste batteries.

However, Britain is already failing to meet the targets set out by the directive. Collection rates of at least 25 per cent and 45 per cent have to be reached by 26 September 2012 and 26 September 2016 respectively. The UK currently recycles just two per cent, according to Government figures.

Joan Ruddock, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "Most of the 25-30,000 tonnes of portable batteries placed on the market each year are currently sent to landfil. At present only about 600 tonnes are collected for recycling."

Mrs Ruddock acknowledged that some types of batteries are recycled in the UK, notably the button cells used in very small electronic devices. But because there is no UK facility capable of recycling alkaline batteries, the majority are shipped to other EU countries for processing.