Free embedded battery product drop-off for South Australians
- Circular economy
- Local government
October 18, 2024
South Australians will have their first opportunity to recycle embedded battery products for free at a trial drop-off event being held on the weekend of Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November, from 9 am to 3 pm.
This event is being driven by the increasing risks of fires from batteries being placed in kerbside bins – which have been responsible for nearly 10,000 fires and fire events reported by industry across Australia in the last few years.
As more and more of our electronic devices come with embedded and non-removable batteries, this fire risk is increasing.
A fire caused by a battery in the Adelaide Hills on 23 October 2024 caused more than $150,000 damage to a waste collection truck.
As we head into bushfire season it is more important and timelier than ever to look at reducing the threat of fires to our waste and recycling industry, to protect staff who perform the essential service of processing waste and recycling in South Australia, as well as plant and equipment.
Green Industries SA has partnered with the Adelaide Hills Region Waste Management Authority, Campbelltown City Council, the City of West Torrens and the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority to deliver the event across 4 locations.
Following the event, the collected embedded battery materials will be transported by Cleanaway to the EcoCycle processing facility in Victoria.
At the processing facility, the materials will go through a separation process, where the battery components will be removed from each item. From there, the batteries and non-battery materials will go on to be recycled and turned into new products.
Batteries contain recyclable materials and metals like copper, aluminium, manganese, zinc, lithium, cobalt and steel that have many uses in manufacturing, especially electronics. Recycling these materials avoids the need to mine and refine virgin rare earth materials contributing to a more circular economy.
This trial will inform the future development of pathways for battery recycling in SA.
As for other hard-to-recycle items, such as loose batteries and e-waste, South Australians can access many free disposal services now, without needing to wait for the trial event. More information on these drop-off options is available on the Which Bin website.
Further details about the trial event, including what items will be accepted and the locations, are available on the Green Industries SA website.
