S. Norton Group is calling on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to strengthen battery recycling targets to increase safety for people within the recycling sector and communities.
Defra is due to consult on the waste batteries and accumulators regulations to draft a UK Battery Strategy, which S. Norton Group says will play an essential role in meeting the Government’s net zero targets and support economic growth.
Richard McKinley, head of technical development at S. Norton Group, commented: “Current UK regulations include targets which are not robust enough. They do not specify how the target is achieved, leading to a focus on recycling lead-acid batteries, rather than the more problematic lithium-ion batteries.
“There is no incentive to recycle highly flammable lithium-ion batteries and there are very few outlets for them. This means there is not enough focus on systematically removing, collecting and recycling batteries from items such as waste electricals and the batteries can find their way into other waste streams, creating a high risk of fires across the recycling industry.”
There is no incentive to recycle highly flammable lithium-ion batteries and there are very few outlets for them.
Norton Group is calling for specific recycling targets for each of the battery types to incentivise the development of battery recycling processes and to minimise the number of lithium-ion batteries being disposed of in general waste streams.
Under existing regulations, battery producers must obtain evidence for the recycling of batteries, which helps fund recycling infrastructure. S. Norton Group says the targets for portable batteries “do little to incentivise” the recycling of lower-value batteries such as alkaline, nickel-cadmium and lithium-ion.
The broad target is to recycle 45% of the average annual amount of portable batteries placed on the UK market. S. Norton Group says lead-acid batteries form the “vast majority” of the 45% that are recycled as they are easy to recycle and have inherent material value, accounting for over 70% of recycled batteries despite representing 3% of portable batteries placed on the market.
Norton Group says it is “vital” to increase the separation, collection and recycling of non-lead acid batteries, in particular lithium-ion, as there is a “severe” lack of recycling facilities in the UK. The Group says this is because of the risk of waste fires and valuable materials, such as lithium and cobalt are not being recovered.
Setting specific targets for the various battery types would encourage the separation and recycling of all batteries including lithium-ion, resulting in improved collection rates and higher safety standards, S. Norton Group says.
Tony Hayer, managing director of S. Norton Group, said: “If this 45% recycling target is applied to each battery category, it will lead to a tightening of the manufacturer compliance schemes that will help to keep lithium-ion batteries out of the waste stream and ultimately result in a safer environment for all.”
