BATTERY RECYCLING INDUSTRY BACKS PLANS TO STOP WASTE GOING TO LANDFILL
3 October 2023 - The Australian battery recycling industry supports plans to stop battery waste going to landfills around Australia and spending on infrastructure to support the ban.
The Australian Battery Recycling Industry (ABRI) Chief Executive Officer Katharine Hole said batteries should not go to landfill or in any household waste recycling service.
“Batteries in waste services are proven to cause fires in garbage trucks, at recycling facilities and in landfill,” Ms Hole said.
The WA Government is the latest government consulting on a proposal to ban batteries and e-waste from landfill in 2024.
“Batteries are recyclable and have high resource recovery rates of 95% and above – this means they can readily be turned into raw materials for new batteries or other products,” Ms Hole said.
“Lead from lead acid batteries is turned into new car batteries with an estimated 80% of the lead in a new battery from recycled materials.
“Critical minerals are recovered from lithium batteries including lithium, nickel and cobalt for use in new batteries and electronics, while commodity grade copper and zinc is recovered from alkaline batteries.”
Options for sending consumer batteries to recycling include:
B-cycle, Australia’s battery stewardship scheme, accepts loose consumer batteries. You can search by postcode for your nearest drop-off location: https://bcycle.com.au/drop-off/
Company take-back programs for electronics and other products with embedded batteries, these may include incentives such as rebates and free postage
E-waste recycling programs
Council collection sites and hazardous goods collection days
Searching apps such as Planet Ark’s Recycling Near You where you can search for drop off sites for batteries and a range of other products.
Ms Hole said the demand for recycled battery material will grow as more countries mandate minimum recycled content in batteries and companies meet corporate sustainability goals.
Further information on the WA Government proposal can be found at: https://www.wa.gov.au/service/building-utilities-and-essential-services/waste-management/e-waste-landfill-ban
Consultation closes on 22 November 2023.