As part of the ongoing review of the UK Producer Regulations, an announcement from the Environment Agency on forthcoming changes to the Waste Battery and Accumulator Regulations 2009 was expected soon.
Although the changes may seem minor at first glance, the impact on all UK battery manufacturers is potentially significant, as the key point in the guidance reads:
"Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) and the regulators will consider a battery that allows periodic gas emission for safety reasons to be sealed. For example, a valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) battery is designed to be sealed during normal operation. VRLA batteries can, under certain conditions, develop high gas pressure within the battery case that must be safely vented through a one-way valve to maintain safety. Therefore, a battery with a one-way valve is sealed as a safety mechanism. And a sealed battery weighing 4 kg or less that is not a vehicle or industrial battery is a device battery."
This means that most lead-acid batteries weighing less than 4 kg are now considered portable batteries and fall under the regulations. The Schemes are currently identifying when these changes are likely to come into effect and are seeking clarification with the Environment Agency on how battery data should be collected and reported to comply with the proposed changes.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact Ramona Brunner via international@take-e-way.de or +49/40/750687-117.
For more information on our international compliance services related to the placing on the market of electronic equipment, batteries/rechargeable batteries and packaged products or packaging, please click here: https://www.take-e-way.com/services/international-compliance/
