Lithium Australia NL (ASX: LIT, ‘the Company’) has a 90% ownership interest in Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd (‘Envirostream’). An onshore, mixed-battery recycling company, Envirostream is unique in Australia in its ability to collect, sort, shred and separate all the components of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (‘LIBs’), as well as single use alkaline batteries. This makes it a perfect fit with the Company’s critical battery metal-processing expertise.
In July 2019, Victoria banned the disposal of spent batteries to landfill, given that many contain toxic materials capable of polluting soil, groundwater and waterways. As the only mixed battery recycler in Australia, Envirostream is focused on diverting as much battery material from landfill as possible, as well as improving the sustainability of the industry via the creation of a circular battery economy.
The volumes of spent batteries available for recycling is expected to increase following recent announcements by the Battery Stewardship Council that it has secured federal government and industry funding to establish an accredited process for their collection and recycling. Scheduled to commence in January 2022, the Battery Stewardship Scheme will collect a levy on each new battery sold and use the funds to subsidise the collection and processing of end-of-life batteries.
Envirostream works closely with the appropriate regulatory bodies to ensure that its management systems and safety and environmental procedures exceed industry accepted standards, thereby minimising any risk to local communities. Its focus on continuous improvement ensures that battery recycling in Australia remains safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable.