EU struggles towards 45% battery collection target

Europe – At just 19%, Croatia and Cyprus recorded the EU’s lowest battery collection rates in 2014 while Malta (21%) and Estonia (22%) fared little better, new figures from Eurostat have revealed. Indeed, it appears many EU nations will not be able to deliver on the 45% minimum collection target set for the current year.

Seven member states achieved the mandatory 45% target, namely Slovakia (66%), Luxembourg (65%), Sweden (59%), Belgium (55%), Austria (54%), Finland (46%) and Bulgaria (45%).

Both Denmark and Germany were only one percentage point shy of reaching the goal although Germany’s battery take-back scheme GRS Batterien insists the country achieved a collection rate of 45.9% in 2015, thus hitting the target well before the deadline of September 26 this year.

France managed a 38% collection rate in 2014, and was closely followed by Italy (34%), Poland (33%) and Ireland (33%). The 2014 figure for the Netherlands has not yet been made available.

The European Commission’s DG environment estimates that approximately 800 000 tons of automotive batteries, 190 000 tons of industrial batteries and 160 000 tons of consumer batteries enter the EU every year.