If you are a manufacturer or distributor of batteries in the Netherlands, you are responsible for managing the collection of discarded batteries, accumulators, or products in which batteries are integrated (producer responsibility).
Producer responsibility
As a manufacturer or distributor of batteries you are responsible for the waste management of batteries you put on the market. This is called producer responsibility. This means:
- you (or in cooperation with other manufactures or distributors) must collect and process discarded batteries
- you must notify Rijkswaterstaat (in Dutch, choose mededelingsformulier batterijen en accu’s) how you intend to collect and process these batteries
- every year you report to Rijkswaterstaat (in Dutch, choose verslagleggingsformulier batterijen en accu's) the amount you collected and processed
If you sell (products with built-in) batteries you must take back the discarded batteries free of charge from consumers. You must inform consumers about locations where they can hand in batteries and accumulators.
Take-back obligation
Retailers selling (products with built-in) batteries and accumulators must take back waste batteries and accumulators free of charge. They must clearly inform the consumer where they can hand in the batteries.
Batteries Foundation (Stibat)
The Batteries Foundation (Stibat) assists producers and distributors of batteries in fulfilling their statutory obligations. If you want to provide a batteries collection point, you can register at the Stibat website.
Extended producer reponsibility
Recycling and waste management are priority topics for the EU, and the coming years will see a shift towards extended producer responsibility and recycling of waste. You can find more information on these ambitions on the Rijkswaterstaat Environment website.
