Business Green: New European Union rules governing the design and disposal of batteries finally came into effect last week, heralding restrictions on the toxic contents of batteries sold in the region. Directive 2006/66/EC regulates the amount of mercury in batteries to 0.0005 per cent by weight, and also prohibits the sale of portable batteries with more than 0.002 per cent of cadmium by weight. The law, which was passed two years ago, had a September 26 deadline for adoption by member …