Collection targets explained

Collection targets are rates that producers, through producer responsibility organisations, and Member States must achieve for waste portable batteries and waste LMT batteries, calculated on the quantities placed on the market. The targets in the Regulation are 63 percent for portable batteries by the end of 2027 and 73 percent by the end of 2030, and 51 percent for LMT batteries by the end of 2028 and 61 percent by the end of 2031, as checked on 28 October 2026. The calculation method, the reference period, and the treatment of batteries in appliances and vehicles matter, because a rate is a ratio, not a count of batteries collected. A rate without a method and a period cannot be compared with a rate from another year or another Member State.

A collection target means a minimum collection rate, expressed as a percentage, that must be attained for a battery category in a stated year. The scope covers waste portable batteries and waste LMT batteries, under Articles 59 and 69, with the method set out in the Regulation and related acts.

What is the legal frame for this stage?

Collection targets for portable and LMT batteries is not a single event at the end of a battery life. Articles 59 and 69 should be read with the definitions in Article 3, because the category of the battery decides which collection and treatment duties apply. A producer responsibility organisation calculating a national collection rate needs to know the category before any other check, since a portable battery, an LMT battery, an EV battery, and an industrial battery follow different routes. A calculation for portable batteries in one year should show the average quantity placed on the market over the reference period, the quantity collected in the year, and the resulting rate, with the method stated.

How are handovers recorded?

For collection targets for portable and LMT batteries, the handover record should also state the condition of the battery, the reason for transfer, and any safety information passed with it. Quantities placed on the market, quantities collected, and the calculation sheet should be retained for each transfer, including consignment notes where waste law requires them. A producer responsibility organisation calculating a national collection rate should check that quantities at receipt match quantities at dispatch, allowing for the measurement method stated in the record.

How are targets stated and checked?

For collection targets for portable and LMT batteries, the relevant target may be a collection rate, a recycling efficiency rate, or a material recovery rate, and each target has its own calculation method, reference period, and chemistry scope. EV and industrial batteries are subject to a duty to collect all waste batteries of those categories, rather than a percentage collection target of the same kind, and the record should not apply a portable battery percentage to an EV battery collection duty. A producer responsibility organisation calculating a national collection rate should record the source of each figure and the date on which the figure was checked, using a dated snapshot where a figure can change.

How are safety and classification decided?

Collection targets for portable and LMT batteries may involve a battery that is damaged, swollen, leaking, or otherwise in a condition that changes handling, and the record should state the condition found, the test or inspection applied, and the decision that followed. A calculation for portable batteries in one year should show the average quantity placed on the market over the reference period, the quantity collected in the year, and the resulting rate, with the method stated.

What belongs in the passport entry for this stage?

For collection targets for portable and LMT batteries, the entry should show the stage reached, the operator responsible at that stage, the date of the stage, and a reference to the underlying evidence, without adding a claim about a later stage that has not happened. Quantities placed on the market, quantities collected, and the calculation sheet should be linked by identifier, so the passport entry, the handover note, and the treatment record refer to the same battery. A producer responsibility organisation calculating a national collection rate should check that the passport entry is updated when the stage changes, and that an earlier entry is preserved in version history rather than overwritten without trace. EV and industrial batteries are subject to a duty to collect all waste batteries of those categories, rather than a percentage collection target of the same kind, and the record should not apply a portable battery percentage to an EV battery collection duty.

What stays open, and how is it followed up?

For collection targets for portable and LMT batteries, open items may include a missing handover note, a pending test result, a facility report not yet received, or a delegated act not yet published that will set a method or a format. A producer responsibility organisation calculating a national collection rate should list each open item, name the owner, and give the next review date. A calculation for portable batteries in one year should show the average quantity placed on the market over the reference period, the quantity collected in the year, and the resulting rate, with the method stated.

How is a collection rate rebuilt from two totals?

A collection rate is rebuilt from two totals: the quantity collected in the year, and the average quantity placed on the market over the reference period. A worked calculation for portable batteries shows the quantities placed in each of the reference years, the average, the quantity collected, and the resulting percentage, with the method and the source for each total. The rate is then compared with the target for the year, and the difference is stated. A rate built from a single year of placing data, where the method requires an average, is a different calculation, and the record should label it as such, rather than present it as the target rate.

A target is a system measure, and a single collection point result cannot be read as the national rate without the full calculation behind it.