The growing prevalence of lithium-ion batteries in everyday items – from toys and tools to vapes and novelty products – has created a ticking time bomb for Australia’s recycling and waste management sector, according to Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) CEO Suzanne Toumbourou.
Speaking at the Coffs Waste Conference, Toumbourou described batteries as one of the most troublesome and hazardous waste stream facing the industry today. She said the situation is being driven by a combination of digital consumer culture, limited public awareness, and inadequate infrastructure for safe disposal.
“Rapid digitisation and the proliferation of so-called disposable electronics are compounding the issue,” she said.
At the same time, regulatory gaps and a lack of consumer understanding mean that batteries are routinely ending up in household bins posing a serious safety risk to waste facilities and workers.
Toumbourou siad that research has shown that 10,000 battery-related fires occurring annually across the country. While only a fraction of these are reported through official channels, Toumbourou said the majority are managed directly, and often with difficulty, by the waste and recycling sector.
“This is a massive problem for our sector,” she said. “Every battery that doesn’t have a safe disposal option is a threat to our infrastructure and our workers’ safety.”
According to ACOR’s research, the average business in the industry is now spending more than $400,000 per year to detect and manage fires caused by incorrectly disposed batteries.
But while the dangers are clear to industry professionals, many members of the public still do not recognise the full scope of what counts as a battery, or where those batteries are hiding.
“The community doesn’t recognise what we call batteries,” Toumbourou explained. “They’re not just the loose cylindrical items that come to mind. Batteries are embedded in things like light-up scrunchies and dog toys, stuff we might mindlessly buy for our kids.”
This confusion is exacerbated by a lack of consistent, accessible disposal options. Even when the public is informed that batteries should not go in the bin, they’re often left without a clear or easy alternative. Currently, consumers are asked to search council websites, check third-party programs like MobileMuster or RecycleSmart, or make phone calls to locate drop-off points.
“If we don’t make it easy,” she warned, “the community will do the easy thing and put it in the wrong bin.”
One solution ACOR is backing is the Recycle Mate app, which serves as a one-stop-shop to help consumers locate their nearest safe disposal point. It also helps governments identify infrastructure gaps– places where no safe drop-off points are currently available – and can support targeted investment to close those gaps. Toumbourou said ACOR has already worked with the Queensland Government to use the app for this purpose. But she stressed the importance of scaling this effort nationally and urgently.
“Mapping this is a priority,” she said. “We need to make sure that every Australian has access to safe battery disposal.”
ACOR is now calling for a harmonised national approach to extended producer responsibility for all consumer electronics, including both loose and embedded batteries. Toumbourou praised the New South Wales Government for taking the lead with new regulatory actions and said she hoped this would serve as a model for national implementation.
“The federal government needs to play its role in supporting national harmonisation,” she said. “Unfortunately, the burden has fallen on the states.”
In the meantime, ACOR is also advocating for a strong national education campaign to raise awareness around the risks posed by battery-containing devices, and how to dispose of them properly. The key message has to be about safe disposal, Toumbourou said.