2006 - GRS-Batterien

Success Monitor
Stiftung
Gemeinsames Rücknahmesystem
Batterien
Hamburg, March 2007 2006

2
Table of contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Success Monitor in accordance with § 10(1) BattV
(German Battery Decree)
Table of contents 2
Foreword 3
Volume of batteries put into circulation / § 10(1)1. BattV 4
Public relations 7
Quality and environmental policy 8
Volume of batteries collected,
according to federal state / § 10(1)2. BattV 9
Volume of batteries collected,
according to origin / § 10(1)2. BattV 10
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Sorting of spent portable batteries 11
Battery systems after sorting 12
Recycling and disposal results /
§ 10(1)3. BattV 13
Summary of operative flow 16
Prices paid for sorting,
recycling and disposal / § 10(1)4. BattV 17
Sources, abbreviations and definitions 18
Imprint 19

1. Foreword
GRS Batterien enjoyed extraordinary
success in 2006. Although there was no
noticeable increase in the total weight
of batteries and accumulators sold by
manufacturers and importers, the quantity
of batteries we collected nevertheless
rose by 7 per cent year on year, to more
than 13,000 tonnes. The targeted
communication we have engaged in with
our partners for many years is now
beginning to show signs of paying off.
The task we are now faced with is to
maintain and improve this communication.
We were also able to increase the
proportion of returned batteries that are
recycled to 88 per cent. And in spite of
this increase in recycling, we were able
to reduce specific costs in comparison
to last year. This is partly due to the high
price of metals in 2006.
It is important for us to be able to offer
our customers excellent value for money.
To do this, we are particularly interested
in optimising costs while improving
quality. Although the quantity of batteries
collected has risen from approximately
9,000 tonnes in 2000 to more than
13,000 tonnes in 2006 and the proportion
of batteries that are recycled has
increased in that time from 33 % to 88 %,
we have been able to keep disposal
costs down at the same level as in 2000
and have reimbursed our users with any
surplus disposal fees.
We endeavour to offer our customers
outstanding services coupled with
reasonable prices – something which we
have achieved in the past and which we
will continue to achieve in the future.
We are therefore also grateful to our
service providers and business partners
for their dedicated engagement.
We now intend to focus more on the
EU’s environmental obligations,
following the introduction of the new EU
Battery Directive on 26 September 2006.
This directive must be enforced as
national law by adapting Germany’s
existing battery decree by October 2008
at the latest. The new EU Battery
Directive for the first time stipulates
battery collection and recycling targets.
GRS Batterien has already made
provisions for this. The directive also
lists fixed battery collection and
recycling quotas for the first time. The
minimum collection target has been
pegged at 25 % for 2012 – GRS Batterien
has already surpassed this with
approximately 38 %. GRS Batterien is also
on course to meet the stipulated
requirement that all identifiable batteries
be recycled by 2009, as indicated by its
recycling level of nearly 90 % in 2006.
In spite of these successes, there is no
reason for us to rest on our laurels, as
the battery collection quota stipulated
by the EU for 2016 is 45 %, and this can
only be achieved when all parties –
from retailers to the municipalities and
industry – continue to actively support
the idea of battery collection.
GRS Batterien has developed battery
collection measures designed to help
retailers, municipalities, and industrial
users achieve the targets stipulated by
the EU directive. Attention-grabbing
promotions and intensive PR and media
work motivate consumers to deposit
batteries and accumulators at collection
points.
All future GRS Batterien communication
activities will focus more heavily on the
aspect of battery recycling: batteries
contain raw materials that can be
recovered and reused. And this is the key
message that we want to communicate
to consumers in order to encourage
them to deposit their spent batteries for
recycling. Some of GRS Batterien’s
comprehensive PR work in 2007 will
include highlights such as the BATT-
Dr Jürgen Fricke
Recycle Tour 2007 through 120 German
towns and cities, recycling weeks hosted
by trade partners, and the continuation
of the ÖRE-Premium model (model
for premium municipalities), which was
launched successfully last year.
Dr Jürgen Fricke,
Chairman of the Board of GRS Batterien
Hamburg, March 2007
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2. Volume of batteries put into circulation/§ 10(1)1. BattV
As at 1 January 2006, GRS Batterien had
contractual relationships with 736 users.
In the year under review, a further
72 users took advantage of its services,
thus increasing the number of manufacturers
and importers that are contractual
partners of GRS Batterien to 808 by the
end of the year.
A manufacturer is defined as anyone
who manufactures batteries in Germany or
has batteries manufactured, regardless
of whether they are sold under a trademark
or which trademark they bear. In
the case of batteries without trademarks,
whoever puts them into circulation for
the first time in Germany is considered
to be the manufacturer.
This also applies to mail-order business.
An importer is is defined as anyone who
imports batteries into the Federal Republic
of Germany and puts them into circulation
for the first time there, regardless of the
level of retail. (including mail-order
business). This also applies to batteries
built into appliances.
The number of batteries sold by users
in 2006 was at the same level as in the
previous year. In comparison to 2005,
the proportion of rechargeable (secondary)
batteries rose again by one percentage
point. Just under 22 % of all batteries sold
in Germany in 2006 were rechargeable.
Number of GRS Batterien users Development in battery sales according to battery types, 1999 – 2006
Primary batteries Secondary batteries
Source: KPMG; Deutsche Treuhandgesellschaft AG, Bielefeld

2. Volume of batteries put into circulation/§ 10(1)1. BattV
Users of GRS Batterien put just short of
1.5 billion batteries and accumulators into
circulation in 2006, which is 4 % more
than in 2005. The total volume of batteries
put into circulation amounted to
34,736 tonnes, which is only slightly higher
Primary batteries
Secondary batteries
than the previous year’s figure. There has
been a drop in the weight per battery unit
down the years, from 24.3 grams/unit in
2005 to 23.4 grams/unit in the year under
review. This is a reflection of the market
trend towards smaller and smaller batteries.
The majority of primary batteries continue
to be alkaline-manganese (+3.2 % year on
year), while sales of zinc-carbon batteries
slumped again, by –23 % year on year. In
2006, the proportion of primary zinc-carbon
batteries was just 10 %. The sharpest rise
among secondary batteries was achieved
by lithium-ion accumulators. And while
the volume of nickel-cadmium batteries
rose by just under 3 %, the units of these
batteries actually declined by 8 % year
on year.
Weight Quantity
2005 2006 Difference 2005 2006 Difference
kg % kg % kg % per 1,000 % per 1,000 % per 1,000 %
Round cells** ZnC 4,717,446 13.6 3,616,472 10.4 –1,100,974 –23.3 194,505 13.6 151,551 10.2 –42,954 –22.1
AlMn 22,162,384 64.0 22,874,233 65.9 711,849 3.2 889,728 62.4 941,372 63.5 51,644 5.8
Zn-air 53,464 0.2 48,785 0.1 –4,679 –8.8 338 ‹0.1 359 ‹0.1 21 6.2
Li, primary 218,979 0.6 219,666 0.6 687 0.3 14,639 1.0 14,646 1.0 7 ‹0.1
Button cells AgO* 40,068 0.1 36,119 0.1 –3,949 –9.9 24,920 1.7 24,946 1.6 26 0.1
AlMn* 163,300 0.5 148,777 0.4 –14,523 –8.9 57,889 4.1 84,019 5.7 26,130 45.1
Zn-air 59,553 0.2 58,496 0.2 –1,057 –1.8 66,980 4.7 64,021 4.3 –2,959 –4.4
Li, primary 169,080 0.5 244,112 0.7 75,032 44.4 52,661 3.7 60,456 4.1 7,795 14.8
Sum 27,584,274 79.7 27,246,660 78.4 –337,614 –1.2 1,301,660 91.2 1,341,370 90.4 39,710 3.1
Round cells** AlMn 40,642 0.1 75,662 0.2 35,020 86.2 1,564 0.1 2,164 0.1 600 38.4
Li-ion 2,212,384 6.3 2,480,805 7.1 268,421 12.1 29,516 2.1 34,824 2.4 5,308 18.0
NiMH 1,921,010 5.6 1,952,781 5.6 31,771 1.7 69,057 4.8 79,235 5.3 10,178 14.7
Pb 1,015,389 2.9 1,069,969 3.1 54,580 5.4 823 ‹0.1 1,010 0.1 187 22.7
NiCd 1,830,150 5.3 1,881,681 5.4 51,531 2.8 18,564 1.3 17,001 1.2 –1,563 –8.4
Button cells Li-ion 7,747 ‹0.1 15,283 ‹0.1 7,536 97.3 2,848 0.2 5,115 0.3 2,267 79.6
NiMH 12,789 ‹0.1 13,007 ‹0.1 218 1.7 2,404 0.2 2,677 0.2 273 11.4
NiCd 295 ‹0.1 176 ‹0.1 –119 –40.3 87 ‹0.1 90 ‹0.1 3 3.4
Sum 7,040,406 20.3 7,489,364 21.6 448,958 6.4 124,863 8.8 142,116 9.6 17,253 13.8
Total 34,624,680 100.0 34,736,024 100.0 111,344 0.3 1,426,523 100.0 1,483,468 100.0 56,963 4.0
Volume (kg) / quantity of batteries put into circulation by users
Source: KPMG, Deutsche Treuhandgesellschaft AG, Bielefeld; the data is based on the quantities registered with GRS Batterien until this report was written
* Includes round cells made up of button cells
** Includes battery packs
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AlMn 65.9 %
2. Volume of batteries in circulation/§ 10(1)1. BattV
Total
34,736 tonnes of batteries and accumulators were
brought into circulation on the German market by
users of GRS Batterien in 2006. 78.4 % of these were
primary batteries (previous year 79.7 %) and 21.6 %
were secondary batteries (previous year 20.3 %).
Percentage of all batteries
put into circulation, volume
AlMn. secondary 0,2 %
* All types of button cells
Li-ion 7.1 %
Pb 3.1 %
ZnC 10.4 %
Li, primary 0.6 %
Zn-air 0.1 %
Button cells* 1.6 %
NiCd 5.4 %
NiMH 5.6 %
Percentage of batteries put into circulation by GRS Batterien users
Source: KPMG, Deutsche Treuhandgesellschaft AG, Bielefeld
Primary
A total of 27,247 tonnes of primary batteries were put
into circulation, which was 338 tonnes fewer than
in the previous year. The main type of primary batteries
continues to be alkaline-manganese batteries at
84 %. In 2006, their tonnage went up year on year
by 712 tonnes to 22,874 tonnes. In contrast, the
tonnage of zinc-carbon batteries slumped by more
than 1,100 tonnes in 2006, from 4,717 tonnes in the
previous year to 3,616 tonnes.
Percentage of primary batteries
put into circulation, volume
AlMn 83.9 %
Zn-air 0.2 %
Button cells* 1.8 %
Li, primary 0.8 %
ZnC 13.3 %
Secondary
While the volume of primary batteries put into
circulation fell slightly year on year, the proportion
of secondary batteries went up by 449 tonnes to
7,489 tonnes. This can be attributed primarily to
Li-ion batteries, the volume of which increased by
no less than 268 tonnes brought into circulation
year on year Li-ion batteries also account for 33 %
of all rechargeable batteries.
Percentage of secondary batteries
put into circulation, volume
NiCd 25.1 %
NiMH 26.1 %
AlMn 1.0 %
Button cells* 0.4 %
Pb 14.3 %
Li-ion 33.1 %

3. Public relations
Motivating everyone to play their part
Once again in 2006, GRS Batterien
managed to increasingly motivate private
and industrial consumers, the industry,
retail and municipalities to return spent
batteries and accumulators with the help
of numerous high-profile campaigns.
Its dovetailed and highly congruous PR
activities to boost battery collection
met with resounding public approval.
The ÖRE-Premium-Programm
In 2006, GRS Batterien devised a scheme
for municipalities to expand their battery
collection activities, offering them attractive
services to that end. For example,
GRS Batterien supported its premium
partners’ battery collection weeks and
similar events by providing promotional
modules such as a pushalong car
race and a painting studio. Both of these
interactive promotions served as an
entertaining way to encourage people to
collect and return their batteries. In
addition to advertising on refuse lorries,
GRS Batterien also assisted municipalities
with radio bulletins and ads and reports
in local papers. It also provided “Mini-
BATT” boxes (small battery collection
boxes for individual households), handing
them out as consumer giveaways at local
recycling collection points. The scheme
proved to be hugely popular and has
therefore been extended into 2007 with
new creative ideas. GRS Batterien was
particularly successful in capitalising on
the World Cup being in Germany in
2006, launching an Internet-based game
which allowed the municipalities to
predict the scores of World Cup matches.
The group that scored the most in the
game won a free battery collection day,
while the two runner-up teams were
awarded a sum of money to be donated
to an environmental project.
Forum on the EU Battery Directive
In October 2006, GRS Batterien hosted
an information and discussion forum
in Berlin which was attended by battery
manufacturers, experts from the environmental
and waste disposal sector, trade
reps and representatives of government
authorities. The delegates addressed
highly topical issues such as the obligations
of the new EU Battery Directive
and the status quo of battery collection,
sorting and recycling in Germany. The
issues discussed were also prepared for
use in the daily press and in specialist
publications, in order to reach as wide
an audience as possible.
Media power across the board
Due to extensive PR work, the topic of
battery collection was in the public eye
VIPs at the forum on the EU Battery Directive:
Dipl.-Ing. Otmar Frey, GRS Batterien, chairman of the
advisory council; Victoria Herrmann, presenter;
Dr Jürgen Fricke, GRS Batterien, chairman of the board
of management; Dr Thomas Rummler, BMU, permanent
ministerial secretary.
throughout the year, with a total of nearly
290 million contacts through all the
media channels. Nearly 140 million of
these contacts alone were radio bulletins,
followed by 76 million publications in
daily papers, general-interest magazines
and the specialist press. Most contacts
were in the form of ads and copy in
high-circulation TV guides and retailers’
consumer magazines. Some 66 million
contacts were generated on the Internet.
There were also TV reports on programmes
such as “ARD Ratgeber Technik”
and “ZDF drehscheibe Deutschland”. In
addition, the website www.grs-batterien.
de provides consumers and experts alike
with interesting information relating to
batteries and battery collection, ranging
from the latest legal stipulations to
teaching materials for schools.
Collecting batteries for the common good
We also ran numerous high-profile
environmental campaigns, such as a
pit stop for schoolkids run by the
Verbraucherzentrale NRW (consumer
advice centre) and a photography
competition run in conjunction with the
HDE (Association of German Retailers).
There was also a great media response
to other environmental initiatives such
as the Energy Day run by the town of
Plauen, a battery collection drive in
Halle an der Saale and a similar drive run
in conjunction with the Bergisch Gladbach
town council and the local waste disposal
company. In addition to these battery
collection drives, GRS Batterien was also
involved in other social projects, such
as supporting the Fördergemeinschaft
Kinderkrebs-Zentrum Hamburg e.V.
(funding association for the Hamburg
childhood cancer centre). It is this kind
of activity that is given a high public
profile, with the general public backing
battery collection and getting the
message across that it is an active form
of environmental protection.
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4. Quality and environmental policy
The basic aspect of
our quality and environmental policy
is customer satisfaction
GRS Batterien assumes responsibility
for collecting batteries on behalf of its
users along with all other conditions
stipulated by the Battery Decree, and
endeavours to achieve the following
within an acceptable cost remit:
• Increasing the quantity of spent
portable batteries that are collected
• Sorting the batteries in order
to improve their recyclability
• Increasing the proportion of and
quality of recycled materials
GRS Batterien undertakes to comply with
all regulations and implement sustainable
and forward-looking development.
GRS Batterien avoids untenable risks in
all its planning, development and
implementation work. The primary objective
is to keep the customers satisfied.
And to do this, GRS Batterien has
introduced a combined quality and
environmental management system
which addresses the needs of all the
parties involved.
Ongoing improvement is an integral part
of all GRS Batterien corporate processes.
In all of this,
As value-added partners,
the service providers play a substantial
role in providing good quality
In accordance with the German Battery
Decree, the service providers are selected
every three years via a process that
promotes competition. Here too, GRS
Batterien sets great store by quality and
environmental protection. The selection
process therefore includes a suitability
test for all sorting, recycling and waste
disposal plants before the call for bids.
Companies are not accepted as bidders
until they are deemed to be suitable
and the environmental friendliness of their
services has been established. Once this
elimination stage has been completed,
the plants are invited to tender their bids
in a public tendering procedure, which
is used as the basis for the final decision.
This drawn-out selection process is a
success, as borne out by the fact that
the complaints quota for battery and
accumulator collection constantly remains
below 1 %.
A good choice for manufacturers
and importers
Another major advantage of this selection
process is that services can be sourced
at low prices, which gives manufacturers
and importers who use GRS Batterien
services excellent value for money. We
also have a team of experts at the ready
to answer all of our customers’ questions
relating to battery disposal.

5. Volume of batteries collected, according to federal state / § 10(1)2. BattV
Federal state 2005 2006 Difference
t t t %
Baden-Württemberg 1,683 1.800 117 7
Bayern 2,143 2.353 210 10
Berlin 416 421 5 1
Brandenburg 297 313 16 5
Bremen 115 114 –1 –1
Hamburg 265 265 0 0
Hessen 693 719 26 4
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 138 150 12 9
Niedersachsen 1,579 1.522 –57 –4
Nordrhein-Westfalen 2,554 2.942 388 15
Rheinland-Pfalz 688 733 45 7
Saarland 134 148 14 10
Sachsen 488 507 19 4
Sachsen-Anhalt 245 263 18 7
Schleswig-Holstein 577 590 13 2
Thüringen 248 298 50 20
Total 12,263 13,138 875 7
The quantity of spent portable batteries
collected in 2006 increased by nearly
900 tonnes to 13,138 tonnes, which is
equivalent to a year-on-year increase
of 7 %. The nationwide presence of GRS
Batterien in the retail and industry, good
working relationships with municipalities,
and extensive PR work contributed to an
increase in the specific battery collection
quantity (grams per head in the year
under review to 159 g/head (previous
year 149 g/head). There continue to be
large differences between the quantities
returned in the different federal states.
This is partly because some retail chains
and manufacturers collect batteries
throughout the country and make them
available to GRS Batterien in central
warehouses.
51 to 100 g / head.
101 to 150 g / head.
151 to 200 g / head.
>200 g / head.
Volume of
batteries collected
Ø 159 g / head.
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5. Volume of batteries collected, according to origin / § 10(1)2. BattV
As in previous years, the most popular
channel for battery collection was in retail
in 2006. Just under half (49 %) of all spent
batteries and accumulators collected by
GRS Batterien were sourced from retail.
The proportion of batteries coming from
municipalities fell by a percentage point
year on year, while the proportion coming
from the trade industry rose by the same
amount. There was next to no change
year on year in the volume of batteries
and accumulators sourced from waste
electrical and electronic equipment being
stripped down, suggesting that the EU
Municipalities 25 %
Municipalities 24 %
Industry 25 %
Industry 26 %
directive on waste electrical and electronic
equipment had had little effect. In the
year under review, more collection points
in the retail and industry were provided
with collection containers.
The origin of spent batteries and accumulators
varies greatly from state to
state. This is due to the very different
waste disposal structures around the
country. The proportion of municipalities
in Hessen is just 5 %, because very
few municipalities there make use of
the GRS Batterien services.
Armed forces 1 %
Armed forces 1 %
Retail 49 %
Retail 49 %
Municipalities Industry
Retail Armed forces

6. Sorting of spent portable batteries
The sorting process
Portable batteries and accumulators are
collected as a mixture, as consumers
are not in a position to presort them. The
batteries are then sorted into electrochemical
systems after they have been
collected. The GRS Batterien service
providers use two different sorting
methods:
• X-ray method
The batteries are sorted according to size
and the round cells pass through an X-ray
sensor. The type of battery is identified
on the basis of the grey areas on the
X-ray. This system is capable of sorting
more than 20 batteries a second with
accuracy of over 98 %.
• Electromagnetic method
This method identifies types of magnetic
round cells with the help of an electromagnetic
sensor. The sensor’s magnetic
field changes according to the electrochemical
battery type passing it, thus
identifying up to six battery types a
second. This system likewise has a sorting
accuracy of 98 %.
These sorting facilities have a total sorting
capacity of more than 15,000 t/a.
Mercury in batteries
Year in, year out, GRS Batterien analyses
the mercury content of the AlMn and
ZnC batteries it collects. The results of this
analysis indicate that the mercury
content in batteries is steadily declining.
This means it will be possible to recycle
more and more of these type of batteries
in the future.
Recycling – the objective of sorting
Sorting the collected batteries serves one
purpose, that being inexpensive and
environmentally friendly recycling. This
means the sorting process must meet
the specifications of the corresponding
recycling plants. Once again in the year
under review, GRS Batterien initiated
two R&D projects with a view to aligning
the battery sorting even more with the
ultimate recycling processes.
Sources: GMA (top), Uni-Cyc (bottom)
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7. Sorted battery systems
The majority of battery sorting was
undertaken by the companies Uni-Cyc
GmbH and GMA mbH & Co. KG. Sorting
is a basic prerequisite for subsequent
recycling. The total sum of batteries
sorted in the year under review was
12,426 tonnes. This includes some
batteries that were collected in 2005,
but that had been stored unsorted in
intermediate storage or at the sorting
plants. GRS Batterien requires NiCd
and NiMH batteries to be sorted to an
accuracy of at least 99 % for them to
be recyclable, and expects an accuracy
level of 98 % for all other battery types.
As in the previous year, the majority of
sorted batteries (79 %) were AlMn and ZnC
batteries. Of these, the proportion of
ZnC batteries in the waste stream had
once again dropped year on year, to
29.0 % (previous year 30.6 %). In comparison,
sales of ZnC batteries accounted
for just 10 % of all sales (average of
previous three years 13.6 %). This is
because batteries that can only be run
2005 2006 Difference
t % t % t %
ZnC 3,705 30.6 3,601 29.0 –104 –2.8
AlMn 5,823 48.1 6,215 50.0 392 6.7
Zn-air 179 1.5 199 1.6 20 11.2
Li, primary 206 1.7 174 1.4 –32 –15.5
Button cells* 61 0.5 62 0.5 1 1,6
Summe 9,974 82.4 10,251 82.5 277 2.8
Li-ion 61 0,5 50 0.4 –11 –18.0
NiMH 73 0.6 75 0.6 2 2.7
AIMn ** 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pb 1,065 8.8 1,031 8.3 –34 –3.2
NiCd 896 7.4 895 7.2 –1 –0.1
Sum 2,095 17.3 2,051 16.5 –44 –2.1
Sorting residuals 36 0.3 124 1.0 88 244.4
Total*** 12,105 100 12,426 100 321 2.7
Primary
batteries
Secondary
batteries
* Comprises all battery types ** In AlMn primary batteries
*** Mixed batteries (unsortable) divided up on the basis of the proportions of sorted batteries
flat once often do not find their way
into the waste stream until years after
having been sold.
The ratio of primary batteries to secondary
batteries remained unchanged from
the previous year. Rechargeable NiMH and
Li-ion batteries are long-life batteries so
the rate of return for these remains low.
An R&D trial was implemented in order
to form a stronger link between sorting
and recycling locations, and to fine-tune
the sorting process to better meet the
needs of the different recycling plants.
Some recycling processes allow for zinccarbon
and alkali-manganese batteries
to be recycled together. GRS Batterien
will continue to endeavour to fine-tune
battery sorting to the recycling processes
and establish these sorting processes on
the market.
AlMn 50.0 % ZnC 29.0 %
Sorting residuals 1.0 %
Li-ion 0.4 %
NiMH 0.6 %
Zn-air 1.6 %
Button cells* 0.5 %
Li, primary 1.4 %
Pb 8.3 %
NiCd 7.2 %

8. Recycling and disposal results/§ 10(1)3. BattV
8.1 Evaluation of the recycling and disposal proportions
The proportion of batteries being recycled
continued to rise in 2006, to 88 % of all
sorted batteries (previous year 82 %).
The focus here is on recycling methods
that result in high-quality products. One
such method is the blast furnace at DK
Recycling und Roheisen GmbH, which is
used to recycle UV-coded AlMn batteries
and extract raw materials such as pig
iron, zinc concentrate and slag. There
now follows a brief description of
different recycling methods for specific
battery types.
Source: GRS Batterien
AlMn and ZnC batteries:
There are other recycling methods in
addition to the blast furnace. For example,
the two companies Redux GmbH and
GMA mbH & Co. KG grind down AlMn
and ZnC batteries in a monitored process
and separate the iron content from the
zinc content. The iron is passed on to
steelworks and the zinc-based fine fraction
is turned into zinc oxide in rotary kilns.
The electric arc furnace belonging to Valdi
in Feurs (France) is used to turn batteries
into materials such as ferromanganese
and zinc oxide.
Disposal Recycling
Button cells containing mercury:
The company NQR in Lübeck uses the
ALD (atomic layer deposition) process,
in which waste containing mercury
undergoes vacuum thermal treatment.
At temperatures ranging from 350° C
to 650° C, the mercury evaporates, then
condensates at a lower temperature,
before being put back into economic
use. The mercury-free steel is sold.
NiCd batteries:
Spent NiCd accumulators are recycled by
Accurec in Mülheim and SNAM in France.
The cadmium is usually distilled in a
vacuum or in an inert atmosphere and
the steel / nickel alloy that is left is passed
on to the steelmaking industry. The
resultant cadmium is generally used to
make new NiCd batteries.
NiMH batteries:
The expertise of Redux in Dietzenbach
lies in reclaiming nickel. As there is the
risk of hydrogen being released when
NiMH batteries are ground down, this is
done in a monitored environment. Once
the plastics have been separated, what
is left is a high nickel containing product,
and this serves as an important alloying
component for the steelmaking industry.
Lithium batteries:
GRS Batterien commissions Accurec in
Mülheim with the recycling of lithium
primary batteries (LiMnO2) in a vacuum
distillation process. This is primarily
used to regain nickeliferous iron and
ferromanganese. Lithium is used in the
process as a reductant. Rechargeable
lithium-type batteries (Li-ion and Lipolymer)
are recycled by Falconbridge,
which first and foremost recycles to
regain cobalt, nickel and copper.
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Final disposal
1,550 t (12 %)
Mixed batteries 81 %
8. Recycling and disposal results/§ 10(1)3. BattV
8.2 Quantitative recycling and disposal proportions
Sorting residuals 7 %
In the reporting period, 12,686 tonnes
of batteries were either recycled or
disposed of by the disposal plants. The
proportion of recycled batteries rose
once again, to 88 % (previous year 82 %).
A total of 1,550 tonnes of batteries
(12 %) were sent to hazardous waste
disposal sites owned by IAG in Selmsdorf
and HIM GmbH in Billigheim. The majority
of batteries to be disposed of were
unsortable batteries and non-UV-coded
AlMn batteries.
AlMn, uncoded 12 %
Disposal
12,686 t (100 %)
The Battery Directive published in the
EU’s Official Journal in September 2006
must be enforced as national law by
September 2008 and stipulates that all
identifiable batteries must undergo material
recycling by September 2009 (recycling
proportion). It also stipulates that the
following minimum recycling efficiency
levels be achieved by September 2011:
Recycling
11,136 t (88 %)
ZnC Hg-free 4 % AlMn, uncoded 35 %
ZnC, uncoded 26 %
AlMn Hg-free 13 %
Mixed batteries 1 %
NiMH 1 %
Pb 8 %
NiCd 8 %
• 65 % of the average weight of lead
batteries (lead content as technically
feasible).
• 75 % of the average weight of nickelcadmium
accumulators (cadmium content
as technically feasible).
• 50 % of the average weight of all
other batteries.
A standard model for calculating recycling
efficiency is currently being developed by
the EU.
Li, primary 2 %
Li-ion 0.1 % Zn-air 2 %
Button cells 0.1 %
Battery disposal according to battery type, 2006
The following table shows the types of batteries
recycled by waste disposal service providers and lists
the products regained from them (based on information
provided by the recycling plants and not on the
standard calculation model, which is in the process
of being developed). The table also lists materials
passed on to third parties for further processing.

8. Recycling and disposal results/§ 10(1)3. BattV
8.3 Qualitative disposal results
Total no. of recycled batteries AlMn, ZnC, Zn-air Pb NiCd NiMH Li Button cells Total
9,146 923 719 73 211 50 11,122
Products
Plant
Valdi, Redux,
DK, Citron, GMA,
Revatec
VARTA ACCUREC,
SNAM
REDUX ACCUREC,
Falcon bridge,
Umicore
Remondis
Zinc and zinc compounds 2,373 0 0 0 0 5 2,378
Ferromanganese 1,140 0 0 0 76 5 1,221
Steels (iron / nickeliferous) 1,287 0 413 69 55 19 1,843
Mercury and mercury compounds 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
Lead and lead compounds 0 600 0 0 0 0 600
Cadmium and cadmium compounds 0 0 102 0 0 0 102
Other metals (aluminium, cobalt, copper, etc.) 10 0 4 0 9 1 24
Carbons 516 55 0 0 4 0 575
Plastics for recycling 184 0 0 0 0 0 184
Slag for recycling 1,245 28 0 0 0 0 1,273
Other residue for recycling 0 240 3 0 3 3 249
Waste water / used air 1,087 0 127 4 37 4 1,259
Plastics for disposal 50 0 69 0 4 0 123
Slag for disposal 1,215 0 0 0 0 0 1,215
Other residue for disposal 39 0 1 0 23 10 73
Overall results of batteries recycled in 2006, based on statistics from recycling plants
Zinc and zinc compounds
Ferromanganese
Steels (iron / nickeliferous)
Cadmium and cadmium compounds
Lead and lead compounds
Mercury and mercury compounds
Other metals
(aluminium, cobalt, copper, etc.)
Synthetics for recycling
Slag for recycling
Other residue for recycling
Carbons
Waste water / used air
Synthetics for disposal
Slag for disposal
Other residue for disposal
1.7%
21.4%
11.0%
0.7%
0.2%
10.9%
16.6%
1.1%
11.3%
0.9%
5.4%
0.1%
11.4%
2.2%
5.2%
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* Gross stocks incl, packaging
** Incl, R&D quantities for sorting
9, Summary of operative flow
Volume of collected batteries acc, to § 10(1)2, BattV (all figures in t)
13,138 t
Retail 49 % Industry/armed forces 27 % Municipalities 24 %
Input 6,366
The flow of materials was monitored
continuously throughout all the stages
and tested by third parties, All GRS
Batterien service providers are audited
by independent third parties to ensure
they adhere to the stipulated quality
standards,
Recycling 88 %
Input 11,136
Initial quantity 01/01/06 609
Output 31/12/06 624
Recycled 11,122
Input 3,615 Input 3,157
Logistics
Input 13,138
Initial quantity 01/01/06 1,146
End quantity 31/12/06 1,574 *
Output 12,710
Sorting
Input 12,710
Initial quantity,
unsorted 01/01/06 829
Initial quantity,
sorted 01/01/06 651
Sorted volume 12,426
Output trade,
unsorted 31/12/06 1,113 **
Output,
sorted 31/12/06 391
Output recycling/disposal 12,686
Disposal 12 %
Input 1,550
Initial quantity 01/01/06 0
Output 31/12/06 0
Disposed of 1,550

10, Prices paid for sorting, recycling and disposal/§10(1)4, BattV
Primary batteries
Secondary batteries
Battery group Battery type Volume of Collected
batteries batteries
put into
circulation
(kg)
1
Recycled
batteries
(kg)
2
Disposed-of Cost of
batteries disposal
(kg)
(kg)
3
Change in stocks
Euro/kg
6
due to collection,
logistics, sorting
(kg)
Round cells ZnC 3,442,388 2,812,900 2,457,030 1.20 –289,700
AlMn 4
22,852,334 6,629,522 5,352,425 186,400 7
1.20 –35,757
Zn-air 3,706 0 0
1.35 –2,789
Li 217,809 91,194 175,956 2.38 1,038
Button cells
1,363,790
Unsortable
battery
mixture
4
AgO 36,119
45,501
0
AlMn
Zn-air
148,776
58,496
71,021
0
0
3.03
0
–7,182
Li 244,112 0 0
Block batteries ( > 500 g ) Zn-air
ZnC
45,079
174,083
199,853
1,081,911
230,008
925,010
1.35
1.20
–21,624
14,334
Round cells
AlMn
Li
Li-ion
NiMH
21,901
1,857
2,480,805
1,952,781
0
34,445
55,131
91,010
58,590
0
33,919
72,794
1.20
2.38
0.87
–1.47
6,085
–15,948
4,855
–334
NiCd 1,881,681 953,353 854,431 0.54 7,940
AlMn 4
75,662 0 0 1.20 0
Button cells 5
NiCd 176 0 0
0
Li-ion 15,283 0 0 3.03
0
NiMH 13,007 0 0 0
Small sealed lead batteries 1,069,969 1,117,843 930,425 0.81 38,926
Total 34,736,024 13,138,183 11,136,089 1,550,190 1.12 –300,156
1 Calculated on basis of sorting results
2 Proportion of batteries recycled based on sorted batteries
3 Expenses include costs incurred for PR work and administration
in addition to the operative costs
4 In cases in which sorting is not possible, the results comprise both primary and secondary batteries.
The quantity of button cells collected is listed as a total, with no breakdown of individual battery types
5 Included in the results for primary batteries
6 For logistics and sorting stocks, see page 16 of the performance review
7 Non-UV-coded
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11. Sources, abbreviations and definitions
Sources Definitions
GMA, Gesellschaft für Materialkreislauf und Abfallwirtschaft mbH & Co. KG,
Wiefels
KPMG Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft, Aktiengesellschaft,
Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Bielefeld
Uni-Cyc GmbH, Bremerhaven
Abbreviations
AlMn Alkali-manganese
ZnC Zinc-carbon
Zn-air Zinc-air
Li, primary Lithium, non-rechargeable
Li-ion Lithium, rechargeable
NiCd Nickel-cadmium
NiMH Nickel-metal hydride
AgO Silver oxide
Pb Lead
Hg-frei Mercury-free
Primary batteries Non-rechargeable batteries
Secondary batteries Rechargeable batteries ( accumulators )
UV-coded Certified to be Hg-free
Non-UV-coded/ Undefined mercury content
uncoded
ÖRE Öffentlich-rechtlicher Entsorgungsträger (municipalities)
BattV Decree pertaining to the collection and disposal of spent
batteries and accumulators (BattV) dated 2 July 2001
(revised 9 September 2001 by article 7 of the law on the
conversion of environmental guidelines to the euro).
Industrial/Commercial The term “industry” comprises all battery collection points
not deemed to be retail points, property of the German
armed forces or collection points of municipalities of which
GRS Batterien has been made aware. Industry comprises
industrial end-users and public institutions such as schools
and hospitals.
Battery mixture Mixed batteries are collected and ascribed the waste
catalogue number 200133, before being sorted and
subdivided into the numbers 160601 to 160605 and
191111 or 191112. The code for the disposal method
is D1 and the code for the recycling method is R4.

Stiftung
Gemeinsames
Rücknahmesystem
Batterien
Heidenkampsweg 44
20097 Hamburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)40 23 77 88
Fax +49 (0)40 23 77 87
Email info@grs-batterien.de
www.grs-batterien.de
Board:
Dr Jürgen Fricke, Chairman
Günter Lührsen
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