Batteries are banned from landfill and skips
Since the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, automotive and industrial batteries cannot be sent to landfill or incineration. They’re also prohibited from skips and general waste collections. In practice that means every waste car battery must be routed to a licensed recycler.
They’re hazardous waste
Lead-acid batteries are coded 16 06 01* in the List of Wastes – the asterisk marks them as hazardous (called “special waste” in Scotland). Lithium batteries from EVs are coded 16 06 05 or 20 01 33* depending on context. Hazardous waste must be:
- Stored safely and separately from other waste
- Collected by a carrier registered with the Environment Agency, SEPA or Natural Resources Wales
- Accompanied by a hazardous waste consignment note (in England and Wales) or a special waste consignment note (in Scotland)
- Delivered only to a site permitted to accept it
Your duty of care
Anyone who produces, stores or handles business waste has a legal duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. For batteries that means describing the waste accurately, using a registered carrier, completing the consignment note and keeping your copies for three years. Failing to do so is a criminal offence – fines are unlimited in the Crown Court, and the “it went with the scrap man” defence doesn’t hold up.
Retailers and take-back
Businesses that sell automotive batteries must accept waste batteries back from customers free of charge, regardless of where they were bought. If you’re a motor factor or retailer you need a compliant collection route for what comes back – which is where a scheduled trade collection fits.
EV batteries and dangerous goods
Lithium-ion traction batteries are also Class 9 dangerous goods for transport. Moving them on the road requires ADR-compliant packaging, labelling and, for larger quantities, trained drivers and vehicle equipment. Damaged or defective packs have stricter packaging rules again. This is why EV packs are collected by specialist carriers rather than a standard battery run.
Householders
Household waste rules are lighter, but the landfill ban still applies. Take old car batteries to your local household waste recycling centre (most accept them free), return them to the retailer when buying a replacement, or book a collection if you can’t transport them.