Festive season reminder on batteries, appliances

SUSTAINABILITY Victoria (SV) has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the safe disposal of batteries and electronics, as many households introduce new items over the Christmas period.

SV says new phones, tablets, gaming consoles and small appliances – all containing batteries – will be given as presents and will likely replace old ones, creating a greater risk of incorrect disposal.

And it says research shows that 41 per cent of Victorian households with young children are incorrectly placing batteries in household rubbish bins.

The research was conducted for SV by Fiftyfive5 in July this year.

SV says single-use batteries and electronics can pose serious risks when they end up in kerbside bins or landfill.

Lithium-ion batteries can ignite when crushed in garbage trucks or recycling facilities, causing fires that endanger waste workers and the community, and can also leach toxic chemicals into the environment, it says.

The campaign is called Small Acts Big Impact and was launched in the lead-up to Christmas.

SV CEO Matt Genever said despite e-waste being banned from landfill since 2019, too many batteries are still ending up in household bins.

“This campaign is about shining a light on the embedded batteries in everyday items like electric toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners, power tools, e-bikes, vapes and portable chargers, and reminding Victorians that batteries and e-waste do not belong in kerbside bins,” he said.

“It’s a small act that has a big impact on the safety of our environment and community.”

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) estimates that it attends one fire a day caused by rechargeable batteries.

“When electronic items containing rechargeable batteries are crushed in collection or recycling trucks after being incorrectly disposed of in kerbside bins, they can catch alight,” FRV assistant chief fire officer of community resilience Darren McQuade said.

“This puts the community at risk.”

Mr McQuade said a fire in a rubbish truck also forces waste and recycling to be dumped in public spaces, creating a huge clean-up job for councils and FRV workers.

SV has expanded the number of battery drop-off points throughout the state to make safe disposal of batteries and old electronic items easier.

A new interactive map detailing all safe disposal locations can be accessed on the SV website by clicking on the ‘Recycling and reducing waste at home’ tab.