Re.Group's Canberra facility caught fire in 2022 and has had two fires at a Dandenong, Victoria facility in the past six months, each of which it said cost $250,000.
“Lithium-ion batteries in particular are disastrous for the industry, as battery damage causes exothermic (heat-producing) chemical reactions, which in turn cause fires in trucks, recycling plants and landfills” , said the Re.Group filing.
State and federal governments have acknowledged the need for reform, but have yet to set a deadline for action.
A meeting of environment ministers in November last year agreed to allow Queensland to “lead work across jurisdictions that could inform future regulatory action”.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was contacted for comment.
loading
National Waste Recycling Industry Council executive director Rick Ralph said battery disposal regulations were moving at “a snail's pace compared to where we need to be.”
“It's one of those things that has crept up and tipped the tipping point,” Ralph said.
Australian Recycling Council chief executive Suzanne Toumbourou said embedded batteries posed an “existential threat” to the waste industry and greater regulation and an awareness campaign were needed.
“Any item with an embedded battery represents a hazard in the waste and recycling streams,” he said. “We don't have regulatory interventions to manage it. This results in an inferno of fires.”
The industry issued its warnings as Plibersek said the Albanian government would scrap a proposed tax on exports of recyclable waste amid warnings the so-called “recycling tax” would be counterproductive and drive more material to end up in the landfill
“We want to see more recycling and prevent waste from going to landfills, which would have caused this rate,” Plibersek said.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with expert news, opinion and analysis. Subscribers can sign up for our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
