Batteries: Recycling

(asked on 11th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has in place to ensure adequate UK recycling capacity for obsolete batteries used in electric vehicles from 2030 onwards; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 17th May 2021

The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 ban the disposal of industrial, including electric vehicle, and automotive batteries to landfill and their incineration. Under producer responsibility requirements, the regulations also obligate those placing these types of batteries on the market to take them back at end of life and provide for their appropriate treatment. We are currently reviewing these regulations, with a consultation on proposals due to be issued by the end of this year, and this will consider the implications of the growing numbers of electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

The Government has committed £318m into the Faraday Battery Challenge to support the research, development and scale-up of world leading battery technology in the UK. The innovation strand is supporting several business led collaborative R&D projects on reuse and recycling of EV batteries.

UK Research and Innovation has also recently invested £22.5m in interdisciplinary circular economy centres to explore how reusing waste materials, including rare metals, in the textiles, construction, chemical and metal industries could deliver huge environmental benefits and boost the UK economy.

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