Australia New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP) is a leading player in Australia’s product stewardship landscape and an active advocate for growing and improving our nation’s e-product ecosystem. ANZRP provides complete and sustainable e-waste solutions which are created and managed to meet the needs of ANZRP members, industry, government and consumers.
The e-product landscape is one that is both wide and varied, and one that is growing rapidly, both globally and locally. This growth is accelerated by the emergent electronification of products and technologies, which are transforming the way we live, learn, socialise, and do business. In amongst this change, and integral to this upsurge, is the increased use of batteries which enables much of this change. Batteries are therefore fundamental to the overall e-product ecosystem, including ultimately a key component of the e-waste stream that must be managed to safeguard against risks whilst remaining in the circular economy.
It is against this backdrop that in recent years key stakeholders have united to establish a product stewardship response for batteries, and one that has led to the formation of the Battery Stewardship Council.
Who is Battery Stewardship Council and what is their mission?
The Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) was established in 2018 and brought together players from across the battery supply chain to deliver a robust and well-designed arrangement. Its mission at the time of its creation was to build a circular economy for batteries by implementing a product stewardship scheme that facilitated the growth of accessible battery recycling services for consumers in metropolitan and regional areas across Australia. The product stewardship scheme to fulfil this mission is B-cycle, a public and consumer facing scheme that focuses on initiating a responsible battery lifecycle encompassing facets such as:
- Buying better batteries for the planet
- Safe use
- Convenient recycling
B-cycle was launched in 2022 by the BSC as a voluntary scheme with the support of the Commonwealth, and all Australian States and Territories, and the authorisation of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). It is Australia’s first nationwide, government-backed battery stewardship scheme.
What principles guide the B-cycle scheme?
The B-cycle scheme was founded on a clear set of guiding principles. These included:
- A shared responsibility approach in which the full supply chain has a role to play
- Fair and equitable funding model that tackles market failure
- System that drives increased competition, innovation and efficiency
- Includes a focus on behavioural change
- Drives circular economy outcomes
- Leads to improved sustainability outcomes
- Reduces inherent risks and leads to improved safety; and
- Scheme is governed with transparency and with appropriate accountability.
B-cycle: Outcomes and Impacts
Since its inception in 2022 the scheme has taken some big steps forward towards delivering on this mission. Some highlights include:
- Extending the network of safe and convenient drop off points from less than 1,000 to 4,195 locations
- Providing drop off points in all states and territories
- Reducing the proportion of households who disposed of old batteries to landfill and increasing the proportion taken to designated collection points
- Increased the volume of batteries collected from 1,258 tonnes (FY21) to 2,375 tonnes (FY23), almost doubling the collection rate
- Recovering over 70% of the materials from recycled batteries.
What can you do
Consumers can play a proactive role in supporting improved safety and environmental outcomes and these are neatly summarised in B-cycle’s call to action:
B-cycle offers convenient Drop off points for all Australians and businesses to recycle their used batteries.
Unlike other battery recycling programs, B-cycle has strict processes to track and verify that every used battery you drop off is properly recycled and made into new products.
More information about the Battery Stewardship Council and B-cycle, including details of drop off points, can be found at Australia’s official battery stewardship scheme – B-cycle
