Belgians have set a new national record, having collected 4,366 tonnes of batteries last year, a non-profit organisation responsible for collecting, sorting and recycling batteries, Bebat, announced on Thursday.
Belgium achieved a 65% collection rate for portable batteries in 2025, surpassing the European target of 63% set for 2027, according to Bebat. The number of tonnes of batteries collected has also seen an 8% rise compared to 2024.
Peter Coonen, CEO of Bebat, expressed pride in the achievement, attributing the success to years of efforts in establishing a widespread network of collection points, accessible tools, and awareness campaigns.
Belgium's performance is underpinned by a robust network of nearly 23,000 collection points distributed across supermarkets, schools, shops, and recycling parks nationwide. In 2025, over 4 million collection boxes were distributed to households to make storing and returning batteries more convenient.
Businesses accounted for approximately 38% of the collection volume, followed by recycling parks with 27%, retail at 18%, and schools contributing 12%, largely through youth-focused awareness initiatives.
Bebat highlighted the increasing prevalence of batteries in daily life, powering devices such as remote controls, toys, smoke detectors, and a growing range of rechargeable technology, including smartphones, laptops, earbuds, power tools, scooters, and e-bikes. Lithium-ion batteries, in particular, are becoming increasingly widespread, with 90% now integrated into devices.
Proper collection, Bebat stressed, is crucial to ensure safe processing and optimal recovery of strategic raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
Despite the progress, Bebat noted areas for improvement, including recovering batteries left forgotten in drawers or not removed from discarded devices. The European Union has set a new collection target of 73% by 2030, a goal that Bebat is now focused on achieving, Coonen said.
