Update of the list of waste in relation to battery-related waste
This Commission Delegated Decision amends Decision 2000/532/EC to update the list of waste with regard to battery-related waste. The delegated act is adopted pursuant to the Waste Framework Directive, which empowers the Commission to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 38a of the Directive to supplement it by reviewing the list of wastes established under the Directive.
Context
The Regulation on Batteries and Waste Batteries introduces a harmonised regulatory framework for dealing with the entire life cycle of batteries placed on the EU market. To help manage waste, the European list of waste provides common terminology for classifying waste across the EU, including hazardous waste.
The Commission intends to revise this list to take account of new battery chemistries and rapidly evolving manufacturing and recycling processes. The objective is to improve the identification, monitoring and traceability of the different waste streams and provide certainty about their status as hazardous/non-hazardous waste.
The amendment also aims at increasing protection of environment and human health by ensuring proper management of battery-related waste.
Content
The Commission proposes to update the list of waste established in Decision 2000/532/EC.
Besides the introduction of waste codes for new battery-related wastes in the list of waste, the amendment replaces the current non-hazardous waste code for alkaline batteries with a new waste code according to which all alkaline batteries are classified as hazardous waste. The classification of alkaline batteries, originally based on an assessment made in the early 1990s, has been adapted to technical and scientific progress by taking into account the concentration of relevant substances in batteries and their hazardous classification according to the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (CLP Regulation).
Furthermore, to contribute to the safe and effective management of waste lithium-based batteries, it is proposed to introduce a new specific hazardous waste code for lithium-based batteries, covering separately collected fractions of municipal waste. This code should be used in cases where separate collection of waste lithium-based batteries is implemented, as an alternative to the hazardous waste code applicable to sorted and unsorted hazardous waste batteries of municipal origin.
In order to allow operators and authorities to adequately implement the new and modified waste codes, in particular for waste classified or re-classified as hazardous, and to make the necessary structural and operational changes in facilities managing battery-related waste, as well as to allow for the adaptation, submission and processing of waste permits, it is proposed that the Decision should apply from 18 months after the date of its entry into force.