Battery waste Management Rules Public Comments & Suggestions

by Khushi Tayal Digital Marketer

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) published the draft Battery Waste Management Rules 2020 by a notification dated 20.02.2020, exploring public comments and suggestions. The draft rules are a developed version of the Batteries (Management & Handling) Rules 2001. The renewed draft rules include batteries of all kinds irrespective of their shape, weight, volume, material composition, or use. The rules are applicable to each manufacturer, collection center, producer, re-conditioner, importer, refurbisher, dismantler, assembler, dealer, recycler, auctioneer, vehicle service center, consumer, and bulk consumers involved in manufacturing, processing, sale, purchase, collection, storage, re-processing and use of batteries or components thereof including their components, consumables and extra parts which make the product operational. These rules have been drafted to ensure greater responsibility from each of these stakeholders for safe and formalized recycling of the batteries.

In Corpseed Recent researches state that with fast developments in battery technology and cost reduction, battery-based applications will become cost-competitive in the near term for both stationary and mobile applications. With the approach to change to electric vehicles (EVs), the development of the Indian renewable energy industry and the exponential growth in demand for EVs has led to an increased usage of batteries. The enforcement of these rules will assure a combined management system that addresses electronic waste (w.r.t. batteries) and allows monitoring and managing the extended usage of batteries. The joint forces of battery and auto manufacturers and the government will assure that battery price changes are tested, and battery manufacturing is supported by implementing these rules.

The shift to utilizing ‘waste as a source’ and applications towards attaining sustainable methods to go beyond waste prevention is imperative to build an efficient resource economy that feeds into the circular economy. Globally, countries are identifying waste management as a dangerous component of the circular economy. Battery reuse and recycling are ways through which secondary sources can be fed back into the creation method. The secondary use examples of batteries have explained that a battery with even 80% original reduced function can be used in power storage applications.

Batteries can be treated as decentralized electricity area solutions. India has a huge economic event in the secondary market-use by utilizing the battery waste. Karnataka and Kerala are the two states whose EV policies have added battery storage as the focus area and design to create a secondary business for batteries. A new study by JMK research found that India’s recycling market has a $1000 million potential.

It also projects that from 2022 onwards, electric vehicles' batteries would offer to the bulk of the recycling market with public transport beginning at almost 75% of the total recycling market. Stringent implementation and adoption of the draft Battery Waste Management rules will enable India to harness this economic opportunity further.

As specified in Schedule-I of the Draft Rules, all kinds of batteries get included under it, regardless of their shape, weight, volume, material composition, or use. However, the Draft Rules release batteries utilized in:

Equipment combined with the strength of the primary security interests such as arms;
Ammunitions and war element, and dedicated especially for military objectives;
Equipment intended to be sent into place (space exploration);
Emergency and alarm systems;
Emergency lighting; and
Medical Equipment.

Prohibitions following the Draft Rules:

No person can place in the market a battery that carries more than 0.0005% (5 ppm) of mercury by weight (except a button cell with a mercury content of not more than 2% by weight).
No person can place a compact battery in the market that contains more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight (excluding emergency and alarm systems including emergency lighting, medical devices, or a cordless power tool registered with crossed-out wheeled bin symbol).
No person can place any battery or battery pack on the market except marked with the “crossed out wheeled bin symbol,” as noted in Schedule II of the Draft Rules, including at least 5% of the biggest side area of the battery or battery pack.
In the case of cylindrical cells, the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol shall include at least 2% of the battery or battery pack's exterior area.
Where the area of the battery or battery package is such that the crossed-out wheeled bin figure would be smaller than 0.5 x 0.5 centimeters, the battery or battery pack demand not be marked. Still, a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol measuring at least 1 x 1 centimeter has to be printed on the packaging.
The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol has to be printed legibly, visibly, and indelibly.
Nobody can place on the market-

i) A button cell carrying more than 0.0005% of mercury by weight except it is marked with the chemical figure “Hg”;

ii) A battery carrying more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight unless it is listed with the chemical symbol “Cd”;

iii) A battery carrying more than 0.004% of lead by weight unless listed with the chemical symbol “Pb”.

Duties for manufacturers, assemblers, importers, and re-conditioners, following the Draft Rules, are:

To guarantee that the utilized batteries are settled back as per the Schedule (given in the Draft Rules) upon new batteries sold, excluding these sold to new machine manufacturer and bulk customers;
To assure that utilized batteries collected back are of related variety and terms as that of the new batteries sold;
File yearly return of their sales and buy-back to the State Board in Form- 1 (to be notified later) at latest by 31st December of each year;
To establish up collection centres both individually or jointly at multiple places for collection of utilized batteries from customers or dealers;
To guarantee that utilized batteries collected are given only to the registered recyclers;
To assure that required systems are built with dealers for safe transportation from group centres to the bases of registered recyclers;
To ensure that no harm to the atmosphere occurs as transportation of used batteries and no acid is removed in case of used lead-acid batteries;