Recycling Policy

Management of waste cells, accumulators and batteries

What are cells and accumulators?

Cells and accumulators are devices that make it possible to obtain electrical energy through the transformation of chemical energy. Cells and accumulators are used in transistors, toys, flashlights, watches, calculators, cameras, mobile phones, etc. Cells and accumulators contain certain heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium or lead, which are potentially hazardous to health and the environment. For this reason, they are considered hazardous waste and are subject to specific collection and treatment.


Within these concepts, a distinction must be drawn between a cell, made up of one or more primary elements (which cannot be regenerated and are therefore not rechargeable), and an accumulator, made up of one or more secondary elements (which can be regenerated and are therefore rechargeable). That is, once the accumulator is depleted we can regenerate the active elements, and therefore its life may involve several charge and discharge cycles, which is not the case with the cell.


Some accumulators are commonly referred to as batteries, such as those in mobile phones, but this designation does not conform to the definition of battery established in the European and Spanish regulations governing this waste, whereas automotive and industrial batteries are indeed included in that definition.


This type of waste, owing to its characteristics and its proliferation, is governed by specific regulations at European level,Directive 2006/66/EC, which has been transposed into the national regulatory framework by Royal Decree 106/2008, of 1 February, on batteries and accumulators and the environmental management of their waste and Royal Decree 943/2010, of 23 July, amending Royal Decree 106/2008. These regulations incorporate the «polluter pays» and producer responsibility principles, so that producers who place this product on the market for the first time, such as manufacturers, importers or intra-Community purchasers, are obliged to take charge of the collection and management of the same quantity, by weight and type, of the cells and batteries they have placed on the market.


The regulations apply to all types of cells, accumulators and batteries, regardless of their shape, volume, weight, composition or use:

  • Button cells
  • Standard cells
  • Portable accumulators
  • Automotive cells, accumulators and batteries
  • Industrial cells, accumulators and batteries
  • Other types

It also includes cells, accumulators and batteries from end-of-life vehicles and from electrical and electronic equipment. The only exceptions are cells, accumulators and batteries used in equipment designed for military purposes or intended to be sent into space, which are excluded from these regulations.

Graphic symbols for cells, accumulators and batteries in separate collection

The symbol indicating the «separate collection» of all cells, accumulators and batteries is the crossed-out wheeled bin, as shown below:


  • Consumers have a legal obligation to return cells and batteries at the end of their useful life.
  • The ecological commitment not to dispose of hazardous batteries and accumulators in unsorted municipal waste streams.
  • The possibility of handing in batteries and accumulators, once used, at the points of sale of producers/distributors.
  • The Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in EEE (RoHS2 Directive), prevention-oriented, which was transposed into the Spanish legal system by Royal Decree 219/2013, of 22 March, on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
  • The Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE2 Directive), aimed at the management of WEEE and incorporated into national regulations by Royal Decree 110/2015, of 20 February, on waste electrical and electronic equipment. Spanish legislation on waste of electric and electronic equipments (WEEE): Royal Decree 110/2015 of 20 february.
  • To contribute to sustainable production and consumption by promoting, as a priority, the prevention of WEEE generation and the encouragement of preparing for re-use. The directive establishes that it is especially important to make progress towards a type of design and production of EEE that facilitates the repair of these products, their re-use, dismantling and recycling.
  • To make more efficient use of resources, strengthening recycling and taking into account that the recovery of critical raw materials contained in the waste of this sector is especially relevant.
  • To improve the environmental performance of EEE producers, distributors and consumers, and in particular of those agents directly involved in the collection and treatment of WEEE.
  • The obligation for Member States to increase the separate collection of WEEE progressively and in accordance with the products placed on the market. From 2016, the minimum collection rate to be achieved shall be 45% of the average weight of the EEE placed on the market in the Member State concerned in the three preceding years. The minimum annual target will gradually increase until reaching, in 2019, 65 %  of the average weight of the EEE placed on the market in the three preceding years, or, alternatively, 85 % of the WEEE generated in the territory of that Member State. The Directive directly involves Local Authorities, distributors and EEE producers, through their own collection networks, and the managers of this waste, in the separate collection of WEEE.
  • The continued application of the principle of extended producer responsibility, so that the manufacturer of the electrical equipment is obliged to bear the financing of the management of the waste arising from its equipment.
  • The obligation for Member States to account for the collection of WEEE through all authorised collection channels: civic amenity sites, distributors, take-back systems set up directly by manufacturers, or collection by managers authorised for that purpose. Each Member State must establish its waste accounting instruments to guarantee the reliability of the data and the traceability of the waste collected.
  • The grouping of electrical and electronic equipment into 6 categories instead of 10.

Before depositing the appliance at the collection facilities, the end user must remove the cells and accumulators from it and deposit them at the separate collection points for this waste, provided that the intervention of a qualified professional is not required for this purpose.

Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

Introduction to the legal framework for electrical and electronic equipment

Royal Decree 110/2015, of 20 February, on waste electrical and electronic equipment


The legal framework for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), and that for its waste (WEEE), was established at Community level through Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in EEE (RoHS1 Directive) and Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE1 Directive). Both directives were transposed into the Spanish legal system through Royal Decree 208/2005, of 25 February, on electrical and electronic equipment and the management of its waste.


Despite this European regulation, WEEE has continued to increase as a result of its ever-shorter innovation and replacement cycles, which have turned EEE into a growing source of waste. WEEE contains hazardous components that pose a significant problem during their management and, in some cases, this management has not achieved adequate recycling rates. Added to this situation is the significant uncontrolled outflow of WEEE outside the European Union and the lack of knowledge of the final management of this waste, with the risk of harm to human health and the environment in the destination territories, as well as the consequent loss to the Union of components with a high economic value.


As a result, both directives were revised and, finally, replaced by two new Directives:


The 2012 Directive (WEEE2) incorporates the most up-to-date principles of Community legislation on the matter, especially the principles of Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives (the so-called «Waste Framework Directive»). This directive embodies the approaches of efficient use of resources, of prevention and progress towards the decoupling of economic growth from the increase in waste generation, as well as the principle of the waste management hierarchy.


Directive 2012/19/EU (WEEE2) has the following objectives:


Other aspects of the Directive worth highlighting are:

  • The obligation for Member States to increase the separate collection of WEEE progressively and in accordance with the products placed on the market. From 2016, the minimum collection rate to be achieved shall be 45% of the average weight of the EEE placed on the market in the Member State concerned in the three preceding years. The minimum annual target will gradually increase until reaching, in 2019, 65 % of the average weight of the EEE placed on the market in the three preceding years, or, alternatively, 85 % of the WEEE generated in the territory of that Member State. The Directive directly involves Local Authorities, distributors and EEE producers, through their own collection networks, and the managers of this waste, in the separate collection of WEEE.
  • The continued application of the principle of extended producer responsibility, so that the manufacturer of the electrical equipment is obliged to bear the financing of the management of the waste arising from its equipment.
  • The obligation for Member States to account for the collection of WEEE through all authorised collection channels: civic amenity sites, distributors, take-back systems set up directly by manufacturers, or collection by managers authorised for that purpose. Each Member State must establish its waste accounting instruments to guarantee the reliability of the data and the traceability of the waste collected.
  • The grouping of electrical and electronic equipment into 6 categories instead of 10.