New collection system for large lithium accumulators
The import of large lithium accumulators has increased in recent years, and now there is also an official collection system for them.
Accumulators used in devices such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, self-balancing unicycles, mopeds, ATVs and ride-on lawn mowers can now be returned to around 250 regional collection points across Finland. You can find your nearest collection point through the kierratys.info search service from April 2nd on.
As previously, you can recycle all batteries and small accumulators at stores. However, large lithium accumulators do not belong in the battery boxes of stores.
You can take care of your producer responsibility for large lithium accumulators through Recser
If you represent a business that imports or manufactures large lithium accumulators or devices containing them, such as electric bicycles or mopeds, you can take care of your legally prescribed producer responsibility through Recser Oy.
The authority supervising producer responsibility, i.e. the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) of Pirkanmaa, approved Recser Oy, the organiser of Battery Recycling, as a producer organisation for industrial accumulators and portable lithium automotive accumulators on27 March 2020. This means that you can transfer your producer responsibility for all batteries and accumulators whose size allows for easy manual carrying and/or that are sold to consumers to Recser Oy, regardless of the products’ official classification.
You can transfer your producer responsibility for large industrial batteries and accumulators designed exclusively for industrial or professional use to Recser Oy in part, meaning that you can register as a producer and fulfil your reporting obligations to the responsible authority through us. The producer remains responsible for organising the reception of large industrial accumulators and other waste management.
You can read more about the producer responsibility and accumulator classification and register as a producer here: paristokierratys.fi/en/for-producers/producer-responsibility-in-legislation
New instructions for collection points
The battery and accumulator handling and reception instructions for the staff of collection points have been updated with a note on collection points for large lithium accumulators. Starting from April, discarded large lithium accumulators can be directed to designated regional collection points, which can be found at kierratys.info.
Many regional collection points also accept small batches of large industrial accumulators returned to distributors. Distributors should always check whether the collection point accepts these before returning them. If large amounts of large lithium accumulators are returned to a distributor on a regular basis, we kindly ask that the distributor contact Battery Recycling to make a collection agreement: info@recser.fi or 010 249 1717.
In this context, large lithium accumulators refer to the accumulators of devices such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, mopeds, ATVs, ride-on lawn mowers and other electric means of transport, the size of which allows for easy manual carrying. The new collection system has no other effects on the collection of batteries and small accumulators at stores, as the reception obligation of distributors does not pertain to large lithium accumulators.