Updated Report, "Battery Recovery Laws Worldwide," Now Available in Print and on CD-ROM.

September 2005 Report Provides Latest Information for Electronics Manufacturers.

The latest version of the EU batteries directive is expected to go on the backburner until next year, waiting for the United Kingdom to finish its six month presidency of the European Union which began last month.

A United Kingdom government official from the trade ministry has confirmed suspicions that the batteries directive is not a priority for the British, despite the fact that a second reading of the revised directive was expected towards the end of the year.

Austria takes over the EU Presidency in January and is expected to take the directive through to its final approval, with national implementation expected in 2008 and higher collection targets coming into force two to four years after that.

Even though only ni-cds and lead acid batteries have toxic materials in them, five countries have recently expanded their mandatory battery recycling laws to include most other batteries, in part to avoid consumer confusion. Today, 16 countries have mandatory recycling laws for rechargeable batteries, according to the report.

Meanwhile in the U.S., six states have Ni-Cd/Pb disposal bans. These include Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey. All end users are prohibited from throwing these batteries in the trash and must send them for proper disposal or recycling through the manufacturer or distributor or other collection programs.

In 2005, the Battery Council International (BCI) released a new report that found that the lead-acid battery industry recycled 99.2% of used battery lead in the U.S. from 1999-2003. This makes the lead-acid battery the nation’s most highly recycled consumer product!

"Battery Recovery Laws Worldwide" is the only publicly-available reference that summarizes rechargeable battery recycling legislation in the U.S. and 27 countries worldwide.

For each country, the report details:

n Which batteries are covered and how

n What recovery is required

n What markings and labels are required on the battery, the product and the package

n Special requirements/bans

n Summary of current takeback program

n Battery fees or taxes

n Contact information; phone numbers

The Appendix includes full texts of most international battery laws in English, including Japan, Taiwan, and Eastern Europe, and other explanatory information. There are full text documents from 22 countries in the Appendix, updated in 2005!

To see the table of contents for this report, click here.

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