PRBA Meets with DOT to Discuss Transport of Waste Batteries

May 17th, 2012 | Posted in General

On May 3, 2012, PRBA met with the U.S. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to discuss regulatory challenges related to the transport of waste batteries in anticipation of a national primary battery collection program.  In light of the vastly larger number of primary batteries replaced by consumers annually as compared to rechargeable batteries, establishment of this new program could have considerable impact on RBRC’s Call2Recycle® and similar used rechargeable battery recycling programs.

European Commission Launches Draft Proposal to Consider Ban on Nickel Cadmium Batteries in Cordless Power Tools

May 15th, 2012 | Posted in General

The European Commission recently published a draft proposal for removing the exemption for cadmium-containing portable batteries used in cordless power tools (CPT) currently provided for in Battery Directive 2006/66/EC. 

The Battery Directive prohibits the placing on the market of portable batteries containing more than 0.002 % of cadmium by weight but currently provides an exemption for portable nickel cadmium batteries intended for use in emergency and alarm systems, including emergency lighting, medical equipment and CPT. This exemption for CPT was  included in the Battery Directive in 2006 because at that time no viable alternatives were available to the industry to replace nickel cadmium batteries.

The Commission now believes viable alternatives to nickel cadmium batteries for CPT are available.