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Policies for Waste Batteries

All of these approaches share a common element: They were already formulated in the early days of discussions—that is, some 25 years ago. It is thus revealing to examine the history of battery policies. Four years ago the European Union (EU) adopted the Battery Directive.1 This directive is the third that makes specific reference2 to the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and helps cement EPR as a policy principle for product-related legislation in the EU. The directive contains a number of measures to be implemented in the EU member states, and these are now gradually being included in national legislation and put into force as the various deadlines set out in the directive approach. This development merits a look back at the evolution of policies for waste batteries, so that we might ask ourselves what we can learn from previous efforts at policy making and implementation. The fact that heavy metals in batteries cause considerable problems in waste management was well accepted as early as the 1980s by most researchers and practitioners in the field (see, e.g., Proceedings 1989; Hurd 1992). Specific concerns related to lead in starter light ignition (SLI; or “starter”) batteries for cars and other vehicles, mercury in round cells (e.g., the familiar flashlight battery) and button cells (e.g., hearing aid batteries), and cadmium in rechargeable batteries of various sizes. Besides the problems connected to these heavy metals, management of waste batteries has also been discussed from energy and resource conservation perspectives.