For battery recyclers and everyone in the battery value chain, government policy and rules are rapidly changing. The impacts on business are many – changing rules around transport and storage, increased regulator site visits to check on compliance and increased focus on battery product quality. This is happening at the same time as structural change is occurring in the industry. To support members, ABRI is prioritising government engagement to achieve coordinated outcomes which effectively deliver safety and sustainability as the battery recycling industry grows.
Below is a list of some of the projects ABRI is engaging with the Australian Government on behalf of members. The project which will most likely soon impact your business, particularly the chain of responsibility regarding risk management of transport of used batteries, is the proposed National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Industry Code of Practice – Waste & Recycling Industry. The Regulator advises the Code proposes to set out the chain of responsibility for transport activities for the waste sector (including used batteries) to understand and assess risks within your operations in order to establish safety management systems that ensure that the primary duty established in legislation is fulfilled. The Regulator also advises the Code will have a legal function. That is, in the event of some incident, the Code will provide investigators and courts with evidence of what is known about the risks and hazards within a particular sphere of operations, and hence, what parties in the chain of responsibility should have known about the need to implement controls, and some of the mechanisms available for that purpose. The list in the Code is not intended to be exhaustive, there may be controls that you already implement which are at least as effective as those in the Code.
Transport rules for used batteries
- National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Waste & Recycling Industry Proposed Code of Practice – formal consultation is expected later in 2022.
- United Nations policy development for dangerous goods transport occurs twice per and the next session commences end November – ABRI is developing a submissions with ABIA and FBICRC to provide feedback to proposed changes to lithium battery transportation
Battery Recycling Industry Development
- Critical technologies of national interest list update. The ABRI submission calling on battery recycling to be included as a critical technology is available – ABRI_Submission to critical technologies definitions. Further information on this project is here.
- Electric Vehicle Strategy consultation paper is now out for consultation and submissions are due 31 October. ABRI is working with ABIA (Australian Battery Industry Association) to develop a joint submission including recognising the role the battery recycling and the need to consider industry transition issues.
Safety and product quality for battery sales
- Lithium-ion batteries ACCC priority project looking at risk mitigation strategies and potential changes to the regulatory framework to improve consumer safety outcomes. An issues paper is expected by end 2022 and final recommendations by July 2023. ABRI is likely to support an ABIA submission.
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