Call for co-regulation of battery recycling

The Australian Battery Recycling Initiative (ABRI), a not-for-profit association, is calling for producer responsibility legislation for household batteries, following the failure of battery manufacturers to agree to a voluntary plan for battery recycling.

All batteries contain non-renewable resources and are recyclable. Furthermore, some contain hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium or mercury, which have potential to leach into the natural environment over time and must be removed from general waste. Communities are demanding that manufacturers and brands take greater responsibility for their products at end-of-life and provide free recycling solutions.

“Within the community, there is significant support for battery recycling, as the success of Aldi’s take-back scheme attests,” said Brad Gray, Planet Ark’s head of campaigns. “Through its program, 2.7 million batteries have been recycled since it began just a couple of years ago. Last year we had more than 110,000 people use our RecyclingNearYou service to find battery recycling options.”

Handheld batteries were included in the Australian Government’s product priority list for 2012-13 and again in 2013-14. The Battery Implementation Working Group (BIWG) was established in late 2013 to investigate the feasibility of a voluntary stewardship program for the take-back and safe recycling of handheld batteries, and in March 2014 the group released a discussion paper on voluntary, industry-led national product stewardship models for Australia.

Many stakeholders - including battery brand owners, electronics companies and retailers - showed support for a voluntary scheme, but others have expressed concern that without regulation the potential for free-riding is high, resulting in voluntary participants being unfairly charged for program costs. The ABRI is “frustrated by the lack of progress”, according to CEO Dr Helen Lewis, and has now asked Minister for the Environment Greg Hunt to investigate co-regulation for handheld batteries.

“Based on the research and consultation undertaken by BIWG and ABRI over the past 18 months, it is clear a voluntary approach is not supported by all industry players,” said Dr Lewis.

The ABRI suggests following the Model Consumer Battery Stewardship Act, developed in the US by the Corporation for Battery Recycling (representing Procter & Gamble, Energizer and Panasonic) and other industry associations. This provides the framework for legislation that mandates producer responsibility for battery recycling at a state level, and already has widespread battery industry support at a corporate (global) level.

“Intelligent regulations will eliminate the possibility of competitive disadvantage and ensure industry-wide participation,” concluded Dr Lewis.