Here are some battery waste facts:
The manufacturing process of a battery consumes 50 times more energy than it provides during the life-cycle;
It is estimated that every person in the UK uses 10 batteries per year;
In the UK it is estimated that 620 million batteries are thrown away each year. This equates to over 20,000 tonnes being sent to landfill. At the end of 2018, the UK Environment Agency reported that the collection of portable batteries in 2018 was expected to reach the target of 45% (of batteries placed on the market in 2016, 2017 and 2018).
The continued drive towards electric vehicles has created a new battery waste stream. Traditional lead-acid batteries used on petrol and diesel vehicles are already successfully recycled with technology enabling the recovery of 96% of the materials. Electric vehicle batteries that are no longer useful for the vehicle still retain 80% of their charge and can be used as a general energy source. Once finally exhausted, these lithium-ion batteries enter the waste recycling process.
In April 2019, the European Commission published an evaluation of the EU Batteries Directive (2006/66/EC) where they report that most Member States met or exceeded the 2012 target for the collection of waste portable batteries (25%), but only 14 Member States met the 2016 target of 45%. The EU Commission states:
‘The management of used batteries remains a concern within the EU. An estimated 56.7 % of all waste portable batteries are not collected, annually. This amount is significant enough to jeopardise the achievement of the directive’s environmental protection objectives.’
As is expected to be highlighted at the ICBR Congress, a great deal of work is required to improve battery recycling rates across Europe.
