Farmers across the country are being urged to recycle their waste batteries, especially those used for fencing, ahead of new EU legislation due later this year.
In December, the EU Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement to overhaul the rules on batteries.
This includes increasing the collection target for waste portable batteries to 63% by 2027 and to 73% by the end of the decade.
Recycle
WEEE Ireland has operated a scheme for the management of waste batteries in Ireland since 2008, when an EU directive on batteries came into force.
Since 2019, the not-for-profit organisation has collected almost 500t of waste farm fence batteries for recycling.
Around 10% of the overall batteries collected by WEEE Ireland are farm fence batteries. Last year, it collected and recycled 125t, 15% more than the 108t collected in 2021.
Ahead of the new EU regulations, farmers can drop waste batteries off for free recycling at any local authority recycling centres or from where the product was purchased.
WEEE Ireland will supply and collect crates to facilitate the collection of the batteries for recycling.
“Like many other sectors, the agri sector and their battery suppliers will be impacted by forthcoming new EU battery regulations this summer, which will update and replace the current rules,” Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland, said.
“This includes a significant increase in collection targets to drive even better recycling and resource recovery efficiency.
“The heavier types of batteries from farms will be essential to ensuring Ireland reaches its targets, and WEEE Ireland is committed to helping the agricultural sector by providing a convenient and free recycling solution,” he said.
Farmers
Commenting on the free service, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), Ossian Smyth said:
“Batteries contain valuable raw materials, and recycling these materials will help Ireland to transition to a circular economy, where waste is minimised, and products are kept in use for as long as possible, through design, repair and reuse.”
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett added:
“I would encourage all farmers to have a quick look around their farmyard and collect up any used batteries and bring them to their co-op, or wherever they are buying batteries, the next time they are going there.
“This is a free, simple and effective way for farmers to help the environment and keep their yards tidy at the same time,” she said.
It is important to recycle all batteries correctly as they may contain harmful substances that can lead to heavy metals and chemicals leaching into the environment, contaminating water and soil sources and affecting wildlife, livestock and humans.