• June 22, 2023
• By Jackson
• Articles, News

To help improve household battery recycling rates, a battery sorting and transfer station within an existing industrial warehouse at 30 Tattersall Road, Kings Park within the Kings Park Industrial Estate is proposed. The proposed facility will receive, and sort waste batteries collected at authorized drop-off points under the B-cycle scheme. The B-cycle scheme provides for the safe collection of handheld domestic batteries including regular AA (and other size) batteries, button batteries, rechargeable batteries (up to 5kg), and other batteries that can be easily removed from a product by the consumer (e.g., from power tools and digital cameras). The facility will not collect large lithium batteries such as those from electric vehicles or home battery systems.

The proposal will involve the installation of a purpose-built, fully enclosed x-ray sorting system in the existing warehouse to automatically sort mixed batteries according to their chemistry. Sorted batteries will be securely packaged in accordance with the Australian Dangerous Goods Code requirements for transport to licensed facilities for recycling or disposal. No processing or disposal of batteries will be undertaken at the proposed facility.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is currently being prepared for the proposed development. The EIS will assess air quality, water quality, noise and vibration, and traffic impacts that may arise from the proposed development. The EIS will include a thorough analysis of the risks associated with the storage and handling of dangerous goods, including fire safety, and identify the requirements the facility must meet to address these risks.

Incorrect disposal of batteries causes significant problems during waste collection and processing, and within landfills. Batteries can cause fires within waste collection trucks, material recycling facilities, and landfills and can leak heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, into soil and water within landfills. The costs associated with improper disposal, including the costs incurred during fires or as a result of soil and water contamination from landfills, are currently largely borne by local governments.

The proposed development will ensure batteries arrive at licensed recycling facilities pre-sorted, with damaged batteries that can’t be recycled, and other contamination removed from the waste stream. Receiving pre-sorted batteries with no contamination will improve the efficiency and safety of the recycling process, allowing the recyclers to increase their throughput. Any batteries that are not suitable for recycling can be transferred to an appropriate facility for safe disposal.

Neighbour and community feedback is being sought on the proposal. More information can be found in:

• Fact Sheet
• Scoping Report
• View the webinar held on 6th July 2023

You can provide your feedback on the proposed development by contacting Jackson Environment and Planning Pty Ltd via email or phone:

• E: admin@jacksonenvironment.com.au
• T: 02 8056 1849

We greatly appreciate your feedback on this project.