Recommendation 106

The Committee heard that at present, despite the unique handling that lithium-ion batteries require in terms of waste management and recycling, they do not have their own waste code and currently sit under a non- hazardous waste code with other batteries. Lithium-ion batteries ending up in general waste streams are a problem for the recycling industry and can lead to increased risk of fire. We recommend that the Government works with the EU to agree that lithium-ion batteries be assigned a hazardous List of Wastes code to support the reporting and management of the risks and to ensure that recycling is undertaken by responsible operators.