Legislation on waste, waste transportation and disposal of waste has legal effectiveness worldwide as well as national or regional. Different regulations, conventions and laws are implemented and make transboundary movement of waste to a complex field of knowledge.
UN United Nations
Relating to battery recycling and transportation, UN is regulating two fields of law:
GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals) – a regulation which harmonizes classification and labelling of chemicals, to be published in standardized Material Data Safety Sheets. It is transposed to European Law (EC/1272/2008) and consequently classifies a waste as hazardous or non hazardous. Additionally it gives guideline how to package and label these wastes.
UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and Executive Committee) This UN suborganisation implements regulations on Road (ADR) and Water transportation (ADN) of dangerous goods. It gives guidance how to package and transport goods and waste if they imply dangerous physical and chemical characteristics.
Basel Convention
“Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal” is a multinational agreement which comes in force on those states, having signed the convention to conduct transboundary movement of waste according to specific rules. It provides minimum information to waste generator, consignee and involved authorities about kind of waste, treatment and final disposal.
Basel Convention
European Law
EC/1013/2006 Regulation on shipment of waste
Waste ShipmentThis regulation has direct effectiveness to all European countries and is based on Basel Convention. Stakeholders are instructed by additional detailed information on waste shipment and responsibilities.
EC/66/2006 Directive on waste batteries and accumulators
Battery DirectiveIt is the most specific directive for the sustainable circular economy of new and waste batteries. Transposed into national law in all 28 member states, it is mostly implemented 1:1 – but in certain countries with additional clarifications or constraints.
The key elements of Directive 66/2006/EU are:
> ban of certain metals in batteries (Hg, Cd, Pb)
> mandatory registration of battery manufacturer/importer
> mandatory labelling and capacity marking
> mandatory report by manufacturer on battery sales by chemistry
> producers responsibility for battery collection with defined target of about 45% collection rate in 2016
> prohibition of battery disposal or incineration
> obligation to recycle all kind of portable and industrial batteries
> minimum requirements for recycling facilities in terms of:
– facility management
– Recycling Efficiency (RE): process efficiency to optimize the proportion of recovered materials (75% for NiCd, 65% for Lead, 50% for all other batteries and accumulators)
German transposition:
Gesetz über das Inverkehrbringen, die Rücknahme und die umweltverträgliche Entsorgung von Batterien und Akkumulatoren.
Batteriegesetz – BattG