Under the regulation on waste LMT batteries, waste industrial batteries and waste batteries for electric vehicles, it will be possible to reuse or repurpose the batteries.

In order to demonstrate that waste batteries have undergone preparation for re-use or preparation for repurposing and have therefore ceased to be waste, it is necessary for the holder of the battery to submit, at the request of the competent authority::

1. evidence of a battery condition assessment or battery condition testing carried out in a Member State in the form of a copy of a record confirming the ability of the battery to deliver use-relevant performance for reuse or repurposing,
2.  an invoice or contract for the sale or transfer of ownership of the battery documenting the continued use of the battery,
3. evidence of protection from damage during transport, loading and unloading, including sufficient packaging and stowage,

This information shall be made available to end-users and third parties acting on their behalf as part of the documentation accompanying the battery when it is placed on the market or put into service.

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt an implementing act laying down the detailed conditions and technical requirements to be met by waste LMT batteries, waste industrial batteries or waste batteries for electric vehicles in order to cease to be waste.

Preventing waste batteries

Producers or, where applicable, producer responsibility organizations shall make available to end-users and distributors information on the prevention and management of waste batteries for the categories of batteries they supply on the territory of a Member State.

The end-user also contributes to waste prevention through information, practices and recommendations concerning the use of batteries in order to prolong their lifetime. Information should be made available to the end-user:

• on the separate collection of waste batteries, collection points and take-back points
• the necessary safety instructions for handling waste batteries
• the meaning of labels and symbols on batteries
• the impact on the environment and human health of substances, in particular hazardous substances, present in batteries

The regulation entered into force on 17.8.2023 and the individual provisions will enter into force gradually.

A timetable of the individual obligations set out in the new regulation, which will come into force gradually, is being prepared.

The text of the regulation can be found here.