Due to a recent spate of fires, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is expanding its successful embedded batteries pilot program in Lake Macquarie.
Thirteen new locations across the state, including the Belmont North Community Recycling Centre, are set to join the trial, which will continue until September 2026.
The move allows more communities to safely dispose of and recycle items with built-in batteries for free.
Gadgets with fixed lithium-ion batteries are increasingly common in homes, such as vapes, headphones, speakers, electric toothbrushes, e-scooters and smart watches.
And, while the battery-powered items contain valuable recoverable materials, they’re also highly combustible.
Waste workers claim they are causing thousands of hard-to-extinguish fires in trucks and landfills each year, too.
Nearly 200 battery blazes have been attended by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) so far in 2025, reflecting a serious risk to the community, households and employees.
NSW EPA chief executive Tony Chappel said the fires were a dangerous issue that could result in devastating consequences for communities and waste workers.
“We’re leading the way to combat these risks by introducing a product stewardship scheme,” he explained.
“But, we also need to make sure battery-powered items are being managed at the end of their usable life.
“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.”
The embedded batteries initiative first launched in September 2024, with 21 local governments across NSW initially taking part to safely collect and recycle items with built-in batteries at Community Recycling Centres.
To date, more than 9,000 kilograms of this problem waste has been dropped off at facilities and safely disposed of, reducing pressures on landfill and driving circular solutions.
Locals in participating areas are encouraged to look at what unwanted battery-powered items they have in their home, and head down to their local Community Recycling Centre to drop them off.
For a full list of accepted items and locations, go to: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/Your-environment/Recycling-and-reuse/household-recycling-overview/Embedded-batteries
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