Companies that stored used batteries outdoors fined for circumventing the waste management permit

Two battery waste management companies belonging to the ALTEO group have been charged fines totaling 54.4 million forints (EUR 147,835) for the improper storage of used electric-vehicle batteries in Salgótarján, northern Hungary. ALTEO Circular Kft. and its majority-owned subsidiary Peregium Green Zrt. are challenging the fines, arguing that the spent batteries should not have been classified as hazardous waste.

We previously reported that ALTEO Circular was fined 4.2 million forints (EUR 11,414) after failing to comply with a legally binding order requiring batteries stored at its Salgótarján site to be classified as waste. According to the authority, ALTEO acted in bad faith, gained an unlawful economic advantage and undermined legal certainty.

Documents obtained by us through a freedom of information request have now revealed that

Peregium Green, which owned a much larger quantity of batteries, received a further fine of 50.2 million forints (EUR 136,421).

Peregium argued that the batteries were reusable components with significant economic value and had been sold for use in energy-storage systems, and they had already begun selling the stored batteries before the conclusion of the regulatory proceedings. The authority rejected this reasoning, saying batteries removed from the manufacturing or use cycle automatically acquire waste status and may only become products again after undergoing authorized recovery procedures. Accordingly, the company’s goal in selling the equipment was “to circumvent the waste management permit.”

The government office also concluded that the contracts submitted by Peregium did not demonstrate straightforward reuse. The 695 battery units were intended to be dismantled so that individual cells, modules and packs could be used, which the authority considered waste-treatment activity requiring a permit. Officials said the sale of the batteries generated significant profits, although the amount was redacted from the documents released to Átlátszó. The authority stressed that “economic interests cannot override environmental regulations.”

ALTEO disputes the authorities’ interpretation and cites the EU Battery Regulation, which recognizes the “repurposing” of batteries for applications different from their original purpose. However,

the regulation defines repurposing as applying to batteries that have not already become waste.

In March, after a lengthy investigation, the government office ruled that 235 tons of batteries stored in Salgótarján originated from vehicle recalls, had left the manufacturing and use cycle, and therefore qualified as hazardous waste. Once batteries have acquired waste status, preparing them for reuse or repurposing is subject to stricter rules and requires an authorized waste-management operation.