A meeting of Australia’s Environment Ministers’ was held recently where Ministers agreed to take urgent action to help prevent potentially deadly battery fires.
Ministers have determined that NSW, QLD and Victoria will work together to lead action on reforms to Australia’s product stewardship arrangements for all batteries.
There have been major issues such as ongoing fires and emergency situations caused by batteries, notably lithium-ion batteries embedded inside a range of devices that show the critical importance of acting quickly to protect lives and property.
In response to this concern, Environment Ministers have agreed to accelerate work towards reforming the product stewardship arrangements for all batteries, acknowledging that intervention is needed through the entire lifecycle of a battery or battery-powered device.
This includes looking at options to improve the design, packaging, importation, storage and disposal of batteries.
A key focus will be on creating financial incentives to ensure the safe disposal of all types of batteries, reducing the chances of batteries ending up in bins and landfills.
Agreed immediate action will be:
- NSW – will immediately commence work on a draft Regulatory Impact Statement, which will assess the costs and benefits of product stewardship models. It will also consider how reforms would relate to existing product stewardship schemes, such as the B-Cycle scheme.
- NSW, Victoria and QLD – will also commence work on model legislation.
This work will enable governments to quickly identify the best reform option to reduce the risk of fires, support Australia’s battery recycling sector, and deliver the most cost-effective and efficient approach for businesses and consumers.
Ministers acknowledged work already done by QLD on safe battery disposal and discussed the issue of managing the risks of batteries, including embedded battery devices, as a matter of priority.
