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Battery Compliance Schemes

There are six Battery Compliance Schemes which have now been approved:

If you want to apply for approval as a battery compliance scheme you may only do so between 15 April and 15 May in the year before you want to operate as a scheme. So if you want to apply to operate as a scheme from 2011 you must make your application to us between 15 April and 15 May 2010.

What is a Battery Compliance Scheme?

A Battery Compliance Scheme will collect, treat and recycle batteries on behalf of large producers (those placing more than one tonne of portable batteries on the UK market each year). They will also register their members with the appropriate environment agency and provide the necessary data in the correct format.

They will be responsible for publicity campaigns, to raise awareness of the need to recycle batteries and to publicise their own collection arrangements.

How do I join one?

If you are a large producer of portable batteries you will need to decide which battery compliance scheme may be most appropriate for you to join. You need to contact the scheme of your choice to become a member.

How much will it cost?

It will be up to each compliance scheme to decide what they will charge their members to fulfil their obligations. We charge Battery Compliance Schemes an annual subsistence charge, plus an element for each member. These charges are set in the Regulations.

How they pass these costs on to members will be a matter for them. However, as with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, the amount that the producers have to pay the scheme will generally be a combination of charges. These include a membership fee (the scheme’s own admin costs), our subsistence charges and the costs of collecting, treating and recycling batteries on behalf of the member.