The NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) successful embedded batteries recycling trial is expanding to another thirteen locations across the state, giving more communities the chance to safely dispose of and recycle items with built-in batteries for free.
Lithium-ion batteries are now found in countless everyday gadgets including vapes, headphones, speakers, electric toothbrushes, e-scooters and smart watches. While these devices contain valuable recoverable materials, they are also highly combustible, with waste workers reporting thousands of hard-to-extinguish fires in trucks and landfills each year.
Fire and Rescue NSW has attended nearly 200 battery fires so far in 2025, reflecting what the EPA describes as a serious and growing risk to households, waste workers and communities.
Another thirteen Community Recycling Centres are joining the trial, which will run until September 2026. The new centres are located in Kiama, Goulburn, Lithgow, Belmont North, Randwick, Katoomba, Kempsey, Armidale, Cowra, Ballina, Culcairn, Moama and Kyogle.
EPA Chief Executive Tony Chappel said battery fires are a serious issue that can have devastating consequences for both communities and waste workers. “We’re leading the way to combat these risks by introducing a product stewardship scheme, but we also need to make sure battery-powered items are being managed at the end of their usable life,” he said.
“With more than 30 councils now pitching in to collect this problematic waste, we’re making it easier for people to keep batteries out of the bin, so we can protect our environment, increase our recycling rates and keep communities safe,” Mr Chappel said.
The embedded batteries trial first launched in September 2024, with twenty-one councils across NSW taking part to safely collect and recycle items with built-in batteries at Community Recycling Centres.
So far, more than 9,000 kilograms of this problem waste has been dropped off and safely disposed of, reducing pressure on landfill and supporting the shift toward circular recycling solutions.
Locals in participating areas are being encouraged to check their homes for unwanted battery-powered items and take them to their nearest Community Recycling Centre.
A full list of accepted items and participating locations can be found on the NSW EPA website at epa.nsw.gov.au.
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