Different environmental and administrative contributions
Don’t worry. Bebat takes care of (almost) all the tasks for you, but you have to make declarations and pay contributions. These contributions can differ depending on the type and the weight of the battery or accumulator. What exactly is the situation? This blog post explains it all.
What is this about, exactly?
Which batteries?
Do you put portable, industrial and automotive batteries or accumulators on the Belgian market? Or products operated by these batteries? For professional customers or consumers?
Take a look here.
If so, you remain responsible for these batteries after their “first life”. Then they have to be safely collected, transported, dismantled, recycled, etc. In short: you make sure that these batteries (and the chemical substances they contain) do not end up in the environment. What exactly is expected of you is summarised in a legal take-back obligation.
Want to know more?
Download the brochure.
Not sure whether you fall under the take-back obligation for batteries? Then do the test first!
If you join Bebat, then Bebat ensures that you are fully compliant with the take-back obligation.
Environmental and administrative contributions
If you become a Bebat participant, Bebat takes over virtually all the mandatory tasks for you. In return, you make a declaration every month or every year and you pay environmental and administrative contributions for the batteries sold. Please note: these contributions are differentiated depending on the type of battery, the chemical contents and the weight. In other words: the contributions differ. That makes sense because certain types of batteries involve higher costs for collection and processing, and more safety risks.
What do you pay for?
In addition to an annual fee of €60 (excl. VAT) for your Bebat membership, you pay:
- an all-inclusive environmental contribution for batteries up to 20 kg (lead batteries up to 3 kg); and
- an administrative contribution for batteries over 20 kg (lead batteries more than 3 kg).
In the latter case, Bebat discusses with you which services you would like to receive for the collection and recycling of those used batteries.
You can download a handy overview of all differentiated rates here.
The difference between the environmental and administrative contributions?
The environmental contribution for each battery sold is all-inclusive, as it covers all the costs of managing used batteries and accumulators.
Costs for:
- collection, transport, sorting, processing and recycling;
- prevention, public awareness and communication;
- reporting to the three regional authorities.
You pay the administrative contribution for larger batteries weighing over 20 kg and over 3 kg for lead batteries. These include the accumulators for hybrid and electric vehicles, accumulators for storing energy from solar panels, etc. The costs of prevention, public awareness, communication and reporting are included.
Please note: this administrative contribution does not cover all the costs. Not included are the costs of collection, transport, sorting, processing and recycling. Why not? Simply because a uniform price is not possible in this case, as the price depends on the weight, chemical family, packaging required and services requested.
If you are a Bebat participant, you provide Bebat with the necessary information about the batteries that you have brought to market and about the collection, transportation, sorting, processing and recycling of these batteries. Then Bebat can report to the government on your behalf.
Bebat can also help you with the collection, transportation and further processing of large batteries. This service is provided on a customised basis for which it is best to request more information and a quote. Please contact one of our specialists on emobility@bebat.be or call + 32 (0)16 76 88 11.
Procedure for declaring sold batteries
How does Bebat know the exact total of environmental and administrative contributions you owe? Through the declaration that you make of the batteries you sold, whether loose or built into a vehicle or device.
How often do you make the declaration?
That depends on the number of batteries you sell during the year.
- Do you put fewer than 10,000 batteries on the market per year? In that case, just one annual Bebat declaration on the previous year suffices.
- Did you sell more than 10,000 batteries? In that case, you have to make a monthly declaration.
How long does this declaration take?
Because Bebat makes life easier for you, including as regards the declarations, you can file these online via the myBatbase platform, especially for Bebat participants.
‘It takes just two minutes a month to declare all the batteries with Bebat and to fulfil our legal obligation’, says Andy Vanhooreweghe, Operations Manager at E.D.&A. Discover what he has to say based on his experience.
It takes just two minutes a month to declare all the batteries with Bebat and to fulfil our legal obligation.
The right nomenclature numbers
The nomenclature number or code per battery type is important for your declaration - and the correct payment of your contributions. A contribution is linked to each number based on the average weight of the nomenclature number and the chemical family.
For the nomenclature numbers for which you have to enter the weight, the contribution is determined based on this weight:
- For the annual declarations (fewer than 10,000 batteries/year) via myBatbase, these numbers have already been entered in the declaration. So it is easy to identify the battery category that you have to use.
- With the monthly declarations (more than 10,000 batteries/year), extra care is needed. Using the search function, you can enter specific battery properties to find the correct nomenclature number. Many batteries have an international IEC code, which simplifies the search. Not all built-in batteries have these codes, however.
You will find a handy overview of the nomenclature numbers in the Frequently Asked Questions on myBatbase.
Tip: Don’t forget to include your environmental contributions with the amounts on your sales invoices to professional customers. This is required by law. It is best to indicate the contributions in a separate section/line on your invoice, as in this example.
Want to go through the declaration procedure without a hitch straight away?
This overview of Frequently Made Mistakes is sure to help you!
