Government makes battery recycling a priority

The Australian Government has released its 2013-14 priority list of products that will be considered for voluntary certification or regulation under the Product Stewardship Act. As well as including packaging, waste paints, air conditioners and refrigerators, the list also covers end-of-life handheld batteries, much to the satisfaction of the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative (ABRI).

Batteries are a priority under the Product Stewardship Act because of their environmental impacts after disposal and the potential to significantly increase recovery. Approximately 264 million handheld batteries reach the end of their useful life in Australia each year - equivalent to around 12,000 tonnes of material - and less than 5% of these are recycled. This represents a loss of valuable materials that could be recovered for another use, including nickel, cadmium, zinc, manganese, silver, lithium and steel.

Batteries contain heavy metals that are toxic to human health and the environment if not managed correctly at end of life. As batteries start to break down in landfill, heavy metals can leach into groundwater. This is a particular concern because 15% of large landfills and 65% of medium-sized landfills in Australia are unlined.

ABRI believes the solution is a national recycling program to divert all used batteries from landfill; the association will work closely with government and industry stakeholders over the next 12 months to consider voluntary and regulatory options for such a program. The first meeting between government, industry and community representatives to discuss the design of this recycling program was held today in Brisbane.

ABRI wishes to ensure that battery recycling is conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. The initiative has published a series of safety guidelines targeting households, public drop-off points, offices, aggregation facilities, transport and lithium batteries, which can be downloaded here.