Battery recycling in the spotlight

Q&A with John Redmayne, MD for ERP UK

Battery recycling: As households use increasing numbers of portable batteries - from TV remotes to power tools - understanding how to dispose of them safely and responsibly has never been more important.

Here, our Managing Director, John Redmayne, explores why battery recycling is fast becoming a household issue, what really happens when batteries are recycled, and the hidden risks of simply throwing them away.

Tell us about the changing role of batteries in everyday life

Households have increasing numbers of batteries in use; it’s a trend that's only going one way. More and more electrical devices are moving from being plugged into a power source to being portable and rechargeable - effectively having their own clever little power source moving around with them in the form of a battery.

Think about it: cordless vacuum cleaners, rechargeable lawn mowers, portable speakers, wireless headphones. All of these things that used to be plugged in are now battery-powered. Overall, more and more batteries are ending up in use in our households, which means we need to be increasingly conscious about how and why we should recycle them.

What kind of household batteries need to be recycled?

All of them!  And part of the challenge is that we're talking about a huge range. There are the normal AA and AAA batteries that we put in the back of the remote control for the TV, children's toys and small appliances like torches. There are also batteries embedded within ever increasing numbers of electrical devices - your electric toothbrush, for example. Some of those have standard batteries inside, but others have a built-in rechargeable battery that you can't remove as a householder.

Then there are the larger, detachable battery packs for items like power tools and garden equipment, scooters and e-bikes. And of course, there are the lithium-ion batteries in our smartphones, laptops and tiny ones in vapes. It's quite a spectrum.

Briefly explain the different battery types and chemistry make-ups

With batteries in use for so many different purposes there are different chemical electrolytes inside, each with different characteristics. The classic would be a car battery, where the majority are still lead-acid batteries. Then you've got conventional alkaline cells - your standard household batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are growing in popularity and use for devices needing high power and multiple charging cycles.

The chemistry matters because it dictates how the battery needs to be recycled. After collection, batteries are sorted into the different chemistry types. Lithium batteries will go off down one recycling route to a particular recycler, whereas alkaline chemistry batteries can go to a different facility. Each recycling facility is equipped to deal with specific chemistries, so getting the sorting right is crucial for safe and effective recycling.

What is a lithium-ion battery?

Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries that use lithium compounds to store and release energy, and they are increasingly common. You'll find them in everything from smartphones and laptops to e-bikes and vapes. They're popular because they're lightweight and hold a good charge, but they do come with specific risks.

The key thing about lithium is that it's a material that burns very easily. Lithium-ion batteries also have a higher residual current in them. If a lithium-ion battery pack is crushed, twisted or broken, it can quite often result in a fire. That's a big concern.

Their physical construction can make them vulnerable too. A battery removed from a smartphone, for instance, is often not in a solid case - sometimes they're in a very soft case to minimise the weight of the phone. That makes them easier to damage if they're not handled properly.

Why is it so important for households to recycle their batteries?

There are three main reasons: value, environmental responsibility and safety.

First, batteries sometimes contain valuable materials – metals and other elements that have been extracted, processed and made into products. Recycling allows those materials to be recovered and put back into use, which may be in more batteries or other products.

That said, there isn’t always value. While some batteries, like lead-acid car batteries, have enough value that a garage will probably make a pound or two on selling the old one to a recycler, most household batteries actually cost more to collect and safely recycle than they have inherent material value. But it's still environmentally the right thing to do, and economies of scale over time might change that.

Second, we're moving towards a circular economy. Future legislation will require a minimum level of recycled content in batteries, so the materials we recover today will be essential for the batteries of tomorrow.

Third - and this is critical - there's increasing awareness of the safety risks that batteries can pose. Correct disposal is important for environmental reasons and for safety reasons.

Give us more detail about battery recycling for safety

The primary safety issue is the risk of fire, particularly from incorrectly disposed of lithium-ion batteries. Their incorrect disposal is causing a significant issue, particularly for the waste management sector, and there are worrying and horrifying examples - some of them can end up in fatalities.

Here's a specific example: if a waste site operator drives a loading shovel over a lithium-ion battery and it goes up in flames, hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of machinery can be destroyed. I've seen cases where there was severe damage not just to the vehicle but to the facility it was working in.

Who is most at risk of battery fires?

In the home, the risk of battery fires is far less likely, because batteries are not generally being mistreated. However, if you notice warning signs, like a battery getting really hot or the case starting to expand and bend out , you should stop using the product immediately. Also be cautious about poor quality, battery units – tempting to buy as a cheap replacement, which may not meet proper safety specifications.

But it is the waste and recycling industry which is facing the greatest huge problems with growing numbers of battery fires. The people most at risk are the operators of collection vehicles and the machinery that's used to move waste around at recycling facilities. These workers face real danger, and sadly, some incidents have ended in fatalities.

Where should householders take their old batteries?

Luckily, it’s easy to do the right thing and recycle your batteries.

You've got two main options.

First, any shop which is selling batteries is required to accept batteries back for recycling – that’s why so many shops these days have collection points for them - supermarkets often have a nice, prominent container near the front of the store.

Second, your local recycling centres all collect batteries for recycling as well, alongside the more conventional waste items.

My advice is that households should put their used batteries in a little cardboard box or a drawer at home until they've got enough to make it worthwhile taking them to a shop or recycling centre. If you’re not sure of where to recycle try Material Focus’ Recycling Locator.

What happens to the batteries after they've been dropped at a collection box?

Once collected, batteries go through several stages.

First, they go to a licensed facility where they are  sorted – typically with a mix of hand and automatic sorting by machines - separating lithium from alkaline batteries, for example.

After sorting, they go to a facility where the batteries are shredded, and that releases the metals and compounds that are within the battery. From the shredded material, the valuable materials can be recovered.

Once recovered, those materials can be put back into use, which may be in more batteries or other products. It's all about keeping those materials in circulation rather than ending up in landfill or incineration.

How is all of this organised and paid for?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is the system, set up by government and managed by the Environment Agency[1], that ensures batteries are collected and recycled properly and essentially means that the companies who make, import or distance-sell batteries in the UK have to take responsibility for what happens to those batteries at the end of their life.

These companies - known as producers - pay fees into compliance schemes like ERP UK in proportion to the volume and type of batteries they're selling. That money then pays for the collection and recycling infrastructure.

For householders, this is actually great news because it means you can recycle your batteries for free. Any shop selling batteries is required to accept batteries back for recycling, but as ‘distributors’ they don't have to pay for it - the producers do. That's why you'll see collection boxes in supermarkets, corner shops and mobile phone retailers. The system is designed to make it as easy as possible for you to do the right thing.

What roles does ERP UK play in managing waste batteries?

ERP UK operates as a compliance scheme that manages the entire collection and recycling process on behalf of producers.

We don't own collection vehicles ourselves, but we work with specialist contractors. A key part of our role is selecting the right contractors for the right work and ensuring they have the correct licensing and permissions.

How does ERP UK help companies with battery compliance?

We provide complete management of registration and reporting for battery producers - and then arrange the collection and recycling of waste batteries collectively on their behalf – and of course they get regular updates on regulatory changes through our newsletters, workshops and webinars. Our Data Services team can provide additional support with data collection and calculation, and our Operations team can arrange take-back and recycling of products from member’s sites and customers.

We're responsible for managing the collections from initial requests through to the contractors and then paying the bills for the collection and recycling. Crucially, we also ensure we get the right information about what was collected and that recycling has taken place, on behalf of our scheme members. That's what's called evidence, and it's what proves compliance.

Our battery compliance scheme simplifies all aspects of environmental compliance for companies making, importing or distance selling batteries. Our solution manages members' legal obligations from registration and reporting to collection and recycling, with a fixed-cost option available for smaller producers.

Who pays for the waste batteries to be managed?

The cost is covered by the producers. These companies join a compliance scheme, like ERP UK, and pay in to the scheme in proportion to the volume and the type of material that they're supplying. These are called compliance fees.

Those fees are what allow us to pay the bills for collection and recycling, which means there's no cost to the distributor - the retailer - or to you as a consumer. The system is designed so that the companies putting batteries on the market fund the infrastructure to take them back at the end of their life. It’s circularity in action, which is great for UK households, and sets us up for a greener future.

For more information about battery recycling or ERP UK's battery compliance scheme, visit our webpage here:

How can ERP UK help?

We help businesses of every size.

ERP UK provides leading expertise, data-driven solutions, and take-back programmes that simplify EPR for organisations navigating increasingly complex environmental regulations.

Related services

ERP UK’s battery compliance scheme simplifies all aspects of environmental compliance for companies making or importing batteries. Find out more here.

About ERP UK

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Contact us today:

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3142 6452

E-mail: uk@erp-recycling.org

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