The collection of batteries: fighting a losing battle
The collection of batteries is not the success story we have been told for years. Officially, work is underway towards a 90% collection rate and this is 'almost achieved'. The latest figures show that, in fact, not even half has been collected over the last four years. Collection cannot keep pace with the strong growth in battery sales: every year there are more disposable batteries in the waste. And still almost 90% of batteries are non-rechargeable; waste prevention is also coming to nothing.
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According to a government-approved management plan, 90% of batteries should be collected. Producers and importers are responsible for this and work together in STIBAT. In its latest annual report, it now reports that last year, according to a measurement method agreed with the environment ministry, 86% was collected. However, because measurements must be made according to European directives from the end of this year, other figures are also provided.
This makes the picture much less rosy: the quantity collected last year amounts to only 36% of the quantity sold last year. The official collection rate is 37% because sales in the last three years are taken into account. After all, batteries are not always thrown away in the same year they are purchased.
Battery collection must improve
It now also appears that battery collection has been stuck at the same level for at least four years. Due to the strong growth in the number of batteries sold, more than one hundred thousand kilograms more batteries end up in the waste every year than the year before. Flanders proves that things can be done better, where 30% more batteries per inhabitant are now collected than in the Netherlands. In September, the new European directive will also come into force in the Netherlands. Then, honest measurements must be taken and the Netherlands will still have eight years to meet the collection rate of 45% of sold batteries, which will then be mandatory in Europe. If the increase in battery use continues as expected, almost twice as many batteries will have to be collected in 2016 as is currently the case. The stagnation of the past four years is not very promising in this regard.
More stimulus for rechargeable batteries
Collecting batteries is a losing battle as long as nothing is done about the rapidly growing sale of batteries. Batteries present a golden opportunity to prevent waste by using rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Rechargeable batteries could be seen as a wonderful environmental innovation… if they were to conquer the market. However, since the beginning of this century, almost 90% of batteries are non-rechargeable, and the increase in the share of rechargeable batteries over the past three years (from 11.5 to 11.8%) also offers little hope for improvement. Waste prevention has been called 'the top priority' of waste policy for thirty years, but our environment ministry seems to forget this immediately after consulting with companies that fear their sales market will shrink.
Recycling Netwerk believes that environmental policy should strongly encourage: “Choose rechargeable and not disposable”. All kinds of electrical appliances should be sold with rechargeable instead of disposable batteries as standard. And the disposal fee for batteries should be used to campaign for rechargeable ones. It appears STIBAT returned 25% of the disposal fee paid by consumers last year to the companies involved. And according to plan, this will even be 40% in 2008. Recycling Netwerk finds this completely incorrect and has requested the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) to ensure that STIBAT uses the disposal fee correctly and pays the necessary attention to stimulating a substantial increase in the market share of rechargeable batteries.
The collection of batteries is not the success story we have been told for years. Officially, work is underway towards 90% collection, and this is 'almost achieved'. The latest figures show that in the last four years, actually not even half has been collected. Collection cannot keep up with the strong growth in battery sales: every year there are more disposable batteries in the waste. And still, almost 90% of batteries are non-rechargeable; nothing is being achieved in terms of waste prevention either.
According to a government-approved management plan, 90% of batteries should be collected. Producers and importers are responsible for this and work together in STIBAT. In its latest annual report, it now reports that last year, according to a measurement method agreed with the environment ministry, 86% was collected. However, because measurements must be made according to European directives from the end of this year, other figures are also provided.
This makes the picture much less rosy: the quantity collected last year amounts to only 36% of the quantity sold last year. The official collection rate is 37% because sales in the last three years are taken into account. After all, batteries are not always thrown away in the same year they are purchased.
Battery collection must improve
It now also appears that battery collection has been stuck at the same level for at least four years. Due to the strong growth in the number of batteries sold, more than one hundred thousand kilograms more batteries end up in the waste every year than the year before. Flanders proves that things can be done better, where 30% more batteries per inhabitant are now collected than in the Netherlands. In September, the new European directive will also come into force in the Netherlands. Then, honest measurements must be taken and the Netherlands will still have eight years to meet the collection rate of 45% of sold batteries, which will then be mandatory in Europe. If the increase in battery use continues as expected, almost twice as many batteries will have to be collected in 2016 as is currently the case. The stagnation of the past four years is not very promising in this regard.
More stimulus for rechargeable batteries
Collecting batteries is a losing battle as long as nothing is done about the rapidly growing sale of batteries. Batteries present a golden opportunity to prevent waste by using rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Rechargeable batteries could be seen as a wonderful environmental innovation… if they were to conquer the market. However, since the beginning of this century, almost 90% of batteries are non-rechargeable, and the increase in the share of rechargeable batteries over the past three years (from 11.5 to 11.8%) also offers little hope for improvement. Waste prevention has been called 'the top priority' of waste policy for thirty years, but our environment ministry seems to forget this immediately after consulting with companies that fear their sales market will shrink.
Recycling Netwerk believes that environmental policy should strongly encourage: “Choose rechargeable and not disposable”. All kinds of electrical appliances should be sold with rechargeable instead of disposable batteries as standard. And the disposal fee for batteries should be used to campaign for rechargeable ones. It appears STIBAT returned 25% of the disposal fee paid by consumers last year to the companies involved. And according to plan, this will even be 40% in 2008. Recycling Netwerk finds this completely incorrect and has requested the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) to ensure that STIBAT uses the disposal fee correctly and pays the necessary attention to stimulating a substantial increase in the market share of rechargeable batteries.
