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Battery Producers

WEEE Ireland Membership

WEEE Ireland membership helps Producers of batteries meet their obligations under SI268 of 2008 Battery Regulations. We collect on behalf of our members waste batteries for recycling from collection points around the country and report on this process to the regulatory bodies

Producers of batteries can apply for WEEE Ireland membership here. Details of fees and documentation for signing will be emailed directly on completion of the application form. Existing EEE members can update their membership to include battery compliance - including batteries incorporated into their products. Please email info@weeeireland.ie for further information

Legal Requirements

Producers are prohibited from importing or placing on the market:

  • All batteries that contain more than 0.0005% mercury by weight except button cells with a mercury content of no more than 2% by weight
  • Portable batteries that contain more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight except for batteries intended for use in
    • Emergency and alarm systems, including emergency lighting
    • Medical Equipment
    • Cordless power tool

(these batteries must be market with a chemical symbol indicating they contain the metal in question)

  • Any battery or battery pack that is not marked with the crossed out wheelie bin symbol, except for those smaller then 0.5cm x 0.5cm in which case packaging should be marked accordingly.

WEEE Register Society

All battery Producers must register with the WEEE Register Society even if they are already registered for WEEE. This includes Producers of EEE that contains batteries.

Existing EEE Producers will keep their current WEEE Register number but will have additional alpha indicator(s) to show if they are WEEE only (W), battery only (B) or both (WB). The number must be displayed on any invoice, credit note, dispatch or delivery docket issue to a distributor by the Producer.

Battery Producers must clearly display their WEEE Register Society membership certificate.

Reporting

Producers are obliged to report batteries placed onto the Irish market by weight and chemistry on a monthly basis to the black box. Access information to the online reporting tool - the Blackbox will be provided by the WEEE Register Society upon completion of registration with them.

The first reporting deadline is in February 2009 for the period 26th September to 31st December 2008 and January 2009 sales. Subsequent reporting shall take place on or before the 19th of each month for the previous months data. E.g. Report by the 19th April for March information.

Please note that the number and weight of batteries incorporated in finished products must be extracted from the weight of the product and reported with battery sales to the black box.

Providing Information

Any Producer or distributor of appliances into which batteries have been incorporated shall ensure that each appliance concerned is accompanied by instructions showing how they can be removed safely and, where appropriate, informing the end-user of the type of the incorporated batteries.

For more information on the obligations of Producers to provide information to users of batteries, see Section 31 of the Waste Management (Batteries and Accumulators) Regulation 2008, S.I. No. 268 of 2008.

Recycling Management Costs

Under the current battery legislation it is not permitted to display the costs at any stage in the supply chain. WEEE Ireland will invoice its Battery Members each month based on their reports to the Blackbox. Recycling Management Costs will be applied on a per Kg basis. Details of these costs will be sent to Members directly and to those Producers applying to the scheme for membership.

For information on Distributor/Retailer requirements see Battery Retailer page