The introduction of the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill and the upcoming Mandatory Battery Stewardship Scheme mark a turning point for the waste and recycling sector in New South Wales. Brett Lemin – Executive Director, Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW, explains.
The waste and recycling industry in New South Wales is no stranger to risk, but few issues have become as urgent or as dangerous as the rise in lithium-ion battery fires.
Across New South Wales, fires sparked by incorrectly disposed batteries are damaging collection trucks, endangering staff, and setting facilities alight. The costs are escalating, and the time for voluntary action has passed.
In response, the New South Wales Government is taking real, enforceable steps to address this growing hazard and to broaden the scope of product responsibility more generally. The Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill has now passed Parliament with bipartisan support, giving the NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) powerful new tools to hold producers accountable for the environmental and safety impacts of the products they put into the market.
At the same time, regulations are being drafted to establish a Mandatory Battery Stewardship Scheme, a long-overdue reform that will help bring the issue of battery disposal under control.
This is more than just a fix for battery fires, it’s a turning point for product responsibility in New South Wales and hopefully the rest of the country.
For years, the industry has been warning of the risks posed by lithium-ion batteries entering household bins and general waste streams. These batteries, while small, can pack a dangerous punch when punctured, crushed, or overheated during transport or processing.
Fire and Rescue NSW has reported hundreds of waste-related battery fires in recent years and that figure only scratches the surface. Industry data shows that there are more than 10,000 fires a year in Australia’s waste and recycling industry alone attributed to batteries.
The national B-cycle scheme, launched to provide a voluntary battery stewardship framework, was a good start. But participation was uneven and unregulated. Without a mandate, many producers and retailers remained on the sidelines, while batteries continued to flow into waste streams uncollected and untracked.
That’s why New South Wales’s move to introduce a Mandatory Battery Stewardship Scheme is a critical step forward. The scheme, currently in the regulatory development phase, will place enforceable obligations on manufacturers, importers, and retailers to fund and support safe collection, storage, and processing of used batteries.
It’s the kind of clarity and accountability the sector has been calling for.
While the battery scheme goes a long way to address the battery crisis, it’s the broader legislative reform, the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill, that lays the foundation for systemic change.
This legislation gives the NSW EPA the authority to regulate the full lifecycle of products that are problematic, hazardous, or difficult to recycle. The Act enables the creation of mandatory product stewardship schemes beyond just batteries, which could capture products such as solar panels, textiles, packaging, and more.
The principle at the heart of the Act is clear: Producers must take responsibility not just for selling products, but for what happens to those products at the end of their life. That includes funding recovery systems, ensuring their products are recyclable or reusable where possible, and helping reduce harm to the environment and community.
This is a game-changer for waste and recycling operators who have too often been left to clean up the mess, without the resources or support from those who profit from the products in the first place.
For the waste and recycling sector, this is a welcome and long-awaited development. But it also means we must be ready to adapt, engage, and help shape how these new powers are rolled out.
Effective implementation will depend on close consultation with industry. The design of future stewardship schemes must be practical, scalable, and reflect the realities of our operations. If not carefully managed, even the best-intentioned regulation can result in cost burdens, logistical bottlenecks, or unintended consequences.
We also need to work toward national consistency. While New South Wales is leading the charge, stewardship schemes must eventually align across state and territory borders to avoid fragmentation and inefficiencies. A nationally harmonised approach, underpinned by strong state leadership, will offer the best outcomes for industry and the environment alike.
These reforms also represent an opportunity for innovation, investment, and improved safety.
Mandatory stewardship schemes can support the development of local recycling infrastructure, create new end markets for recovered materials, and reduce environmental and workplace risks. The push for lifecycle responsibility will also drive better product design, encouraging repairability, durability, and recyclability from the start. We’re no longer just managing waste, we’re influencing how products are made, sold, and recovered.
That’s an exciting shift.
The introduction of the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill and the upcoming Mandatory Battery Stewardship Scheme mark a turning point for the waste and recycling sector in New South Wales. They represent a clear move away from voluntary, fragmented approaches and toward a system built on responsibility, safety, and long-term thinking.
As regulations are finalised and future product categories are considered under the Act, industry must stay engaged. This is a chance to not only reduce harm, but to lead the way in building a smarter, safer, and more sustainable system for future generations.
Let’s make the most of it.
For more information, visit: www.wcra.com.au/
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