Australia’s battery manufacturing and recycling sectors have urged the NSW Government to activate the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Regulation 2025 (Batteries) before the end of the year, with the Battery Stewardship Council warning that delays are increasing safety risks across homes, workplaces and waste facilities.
In a joint industry statement coordinated through B-cycle, the Battery Stewardship Council’s national ACCC-accredited battery recycling scheme, industry partners said mandatory regulation is needed to ensure accountability across the full battery lifecycle – from manufacturing and import to retail, collection and recycling.
B-cycle CEO Libby Chaplin said the voluntary system had reached its limit, stating that daily delays were exposing the community to preventable fire and injury risks.
“This is, and has been for some time now, a public safety issue,” Chaplin said. “NSW families, children, waste workers, and fire and rescue services are carrying the cost of delays. The only way to reduce these risks at scale is to activate mandatory regulation and require all producers, online sellers and importers to play their part.”
According to industry partners, activating the regulation would close free-rider loopholes, secure stable funding for expanded recycling infrastructure, and support future initiatives such as recovering embedded batteries.
Duracell Australia Managing Director Mariusz Surmacz said mandatory rules were essential to ensure consistent safety obligations across all sellers.
“The safety of NSW households should not rely on the voluntary efforts of only a few committed companies,” Surmacz said. “The risks are growing — and the time to act is now.”
EcoCycle Group, claimed as Australia’s largest battery recycler, also backed the call for mandatory participation, noting that current collection rates remain too low.
“The current 15% collection rate from the voluntary battery stewardship scheme is insufficient,” said Spyro Kalos, National Partnerships Manager (ANZ).
“Only through regulation can we establish the certainty and consistency needed across the supply chain, providing brand owners with accountable end-of-life solutions and ensuring consumers have a reliable and safe method for disposing of batteries.”
MRA Consulting Group Managing Director Mike Ritchie said mandatory product stewardship would deliver immediate safety benefits.
“Swift and decisive action to implement mandatory stewardship will immediately protect workers and infrastructure from battery fires, which are currently out of control,” Ritchie said.
According to the statement, the Battery Stewardship Council said the holiday period typically brings a spike in new battery purchases and related incidents, adding to risks for households, children, waste workers and emergency responders.
Industry partners are calling on the NSW Government to finalise and gazette the Regulation by 31 December 2025, commence it by 31 March 2026, appoint a Product Stewardship Organisation by 1 April 2026, and ensure online and cross-border sellers are included.
They said swift implementation would help reduce community risk over the holiday period and support a safer, fully funded national system.
