Batteries responsibilities for business

The majority of automotive batteries are traditional 12-Volt lead-acid batteries that have been used in cars, vans or trucks for many decades. They do not include batteries used in car key fobs or power propulsion for electric vehicles. A hybrid vehicle, for example, is likely to have two batteries - an automotive battery for ignition and an industrial battery for propulsion.

If you are a producer of industrial and/or automotive batteries you must register on the National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD) within 28 days of the first day that you place batteries on the market. The NPWD is an integrated system that maintains a register of all types of battery producer - portable, industrial and automotive.

Industrial battery take back

Producers of industrial batteries must offer and be ready to take back and collect waste industrial batteries from end users free of charge in the following instances:

• when the producer is supplying new industrial batteries to the end user during the calendar year of purchase.
• when the end user is not able to return waste industrial batteries to the original producer that supplied the batteries or outside the calendar year of purchase, eg when not purchasing new batteries from a producer.
• If an end user is unable to dispose of waste industrial batteries by either of the options above

You must publish details of how end users can contact you to arrange free take back and collection of their waste industrial batteries by 1 December of the year before you place batteries on the market. As a minimum for example, this information should be made available and easily accessible on your website.

Automotive battery take back

Producers of automotive batteries must offer to take back and collect waste automotive batteries from final holders free of charge. Final holders include garages, scrap yards, end-of-life vehicle authorised treatment facilities, civic amenity sites or anyone else that removes automotive batteries from vehicles as part of their daily business.

If you intend to place automotive batteries on the market, you must publish details of how final holders can contact you to arrange free collection of their waste automotive batteries by 1 December in the year before you place batteries on the market. As a minimum for example, this information should be made available and easily accessible on your website.

Sending waste batteries for recycling or export

All collected waste industrial and automotive batteries must be sent to an approved battery treatment operator (ABTO) for recycling, or to an approved battery exporter (ABE) that can export the waste batteries for recycling. Collection and transport may be carried out by appropriately authorised third parties.

Storing waste batteries

If you store waste industrial or automotive batteries at your site, you may need a waste management licence or registered exemption.

You can register an exemption from waste management licensing if you store less than five tonnes of automotive or industrial batteries in any six month period. If you store more than five tonnes, you must have a waste management licence. Find information on complex exemptions.

Record keeping and reporting

You must keep written records of the total amount of:

• industrial and automotive batteries, in tonnes and by chemistry, that you have placed on the market for every year that you are registered as a producer
• waste industrial and automotive batteries, in tonnes and by chemistry, that you have been requested to take back and collect, or arranged to have been collected, and sent for treatment and recycling

For each year that you place industrial or automotive batteries on the UK market you must send an annual report to BIS, using the NPWD system. This must be sent by 31 March covering the preceding calendar year and include the information above.