Recycling efficiency and material recovery

Recycling efficiency and material recovery are two different measures, and the record must keep them separate. Recycling efficiency measures the share, by average weight, of waste batteries that undergoes recycling, under the method in Annex XII. Material recovery measures the share of a specified material, such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, copper, or lead, that is recovered from waste batteries. Each measure has its own target, its own reference date, and its own chemistry scope. A facility average must not be presented as a result for a single battery, and a recovery rate for one material must not be presented as a rate for all materials. The record must state the method, the period, and the chemistry.

Recycling efficiency means the ratio, calculated under Annex XII, of the weight of materials recycled to the weight of waste batteries treated. Material recovery means the ratio for a specified material recovered from waste batteries, calculated under the same annex. The scope is permitted recycling facilities.

What is the legal frame for this stage?

Recycling efficiency and material recovery is not a single event at the end of a battery life. Article 71 should be read with the definitions in Article 3, because the category of the battery decides which collection and treatment duties apply. A permitted recycler reporting annual efficiency and recovery results 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 lithium based battery stream treated in one year should show input weight, output weights by material, the efficiency calculation, and the lithium recovery calculation, each with the period and the method stated.

How are handovers recorded?

For recycling efficiency and material recovery, the handover record should also state the condition of the battery, the reason for transfer, and any safety information passed with it. Input records, output records, and calculation sheets should be retained for each transfer, including consignment notes where waste law requires them. A permitted recycler reporting annual efficiency and recovery results 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 recycling efficiency and material recovery, 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. Targets rise over time, with recycling efficiency targets set for 31 December 2025 and higher targets for lead acid and lithium based batteries from 31 December 2030, and material recovery targets set for 31 December 2027 and 31 December 2031, as checked on 28 October 2026. A permitted recycler reporting annual efficiency and recovery results 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?

Recycling efficiency and material recovery 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 lithium based battery stream treated in one year should show input weight, output weights by material, the efficiency calculation, and the lithium recovery calculation, each with the period and the method stated.

What belongs in the passport entry for this stage?

For recycling efficiency and material recovery, 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. Input records, output records, and calculation sheets should be linked by identifier, so the passport entry, the handover note, and the treatment record refer to the same battery. A permitted recycler reporting annual efficiency and recovery results 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. Targets rise over time, with recycling efficiency targets set for 31 December 2025 and higher targets for lead acid and lithium based batteries from 31 December 2030, and material recovery targets set for 31 December 2027 and 31 December 2031, as checked on 28 October 2026.

What stays open, and how is it followed up?

For recycling efficiency and material recovery, 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 permitted recycler reporting annual efficiency and recovery results should list each open item, name the owner, and give the next review date. A lithium based battery stream treated in one year should show input weight, output weights by material, the efficiency calculation, and the lithium recovery calculation, each with the period and the method stated.

How is an efficiency figure checked from facility data?

An efficiency figure is checked by rebuilding the calculation from facility input and output records. Take the total input weight of waste batteries treated in the period, then the weights of materials sent for recycling, and divide the recycled weight by the input weight under the Annex XII method. For material recovery, take the weight of one material in the input, estimated from composition data, and the weight of that material recovered, and divide the recovered weight by the input weight. A worked check for a lithium based stream shows input weight, output weights by fraction, the efficiency result, and the lithium recovery result, each with the method and period. A figure that cannot be rebuilt from the facility records is not a checked figure.

A rate without a method, a period, and a chemistry scope cannot be compared, and the record should refuse a comparison that the evidence does not support.