The Battery Stewardship Council has established a new expert advisory panel to help guide the national B-cycle scheme through its next phase of growth.
The B-cycle Battery Advisory Panel (BBAP) brings together 16 leaders from across the battery supply chain, local government, retail, and waste management, alongside a representative from Fire Rescue Victoria. The panel will provide insight, sector intelligence and practical advice as the BSC prepares for a more rigorous national stewardship framework.
The mandatory product stewardship laws are set to kick in across New South Wales from October 1 under the NSW Product Lifecycle Responsibility Regulation 2026. The state-based reforms mark a critical transition from a largely voluntary system to a strict, legally binding producer responsibility model.
BSC Chief Executive Officer Libby Chaplin said the panel would strengthen the organisation’s governance and ensure regulatory readiness as market complexity increases.
“B-cycle has established important national foundations, but the operating context is shifting quickly,” Chaplin said.
“As policy settings evolve and market complexity increases, our governance and advisory structures must evolve with them.”
Inaugural BBAP Chair Bronwyn Voyce described the current climate as a turning point for national productivity and safety.
“Battery stewardship is at a turning point. We need materially greater recovery of end-of-life batteries, alongside the governance, market settings and cross-sector collaboration required to deliver this at scale,” Voyce said.
Since B-cycle launched in 2022, the scheme has collected over AU$70 million in levies and diverted 12,139 tonnes of batteries from landfill. This includes more than 137 million lithium-ion equivalent battery units, which pose a severe fire hazard if thrown into ordinary household bins.
Today, B-cycle boasts 6,069 drop-off points nationwide, placing 94.8 per cent of Australians within a 15-minute drive of a recycling site.
With mandatory rules looming, the BSC is urging non-participating battery suppliers to review their compliance obligations immediately.
