The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 will come into effect on 5 May. The compliance period for retailers who sell more than 32kg of portable batteries will start on 1 February 2010. The Regulations state that retailers who sell more than this amount must provide recycling facilities for used batteries. This is an increase from 16kg. However, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) claims that the threshold is still not high enough. It says that 32kg, which equates to around 320 packs of AA batteries, will make it "confusing and burdensome" for retailers.

For more on the Regulations go to:
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=398605&NewsAreaID=2

For more from the ACS go to:
http://www.acs.org.uk