Battery Stewardship Council

On 18 March 2020 the Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) applied for authorisation for a proposed Battery Stewardship Scheme. Under the stewardship scheme a levy is applied to imported batteries at a rate of $0.04 per 24 grams and members of the proposed stewardship scheme are required to only deal with other members of the scheme (excepting current ongoing arrangements).

The weight-based charge on imported batteries (or equivalent fee to be paid by members of the scheme) would be passed onto consumers as a visible levy, and would be used to fund the scheme and a rebate system for service providers responsible for the battery’s collection, sorting and processing.

The proposed stewardship scheme is intended to operate nationally and on a voluntary basis to enable the responsible management of all types of used batteries, excluding lead acid batteries and batteries which are that are included in a stewardship or recycling scheme.

BSC sought authorisation for 5 years. A full copy of BSC’s application for authorisation is below.

On 14 July 2020, the ACCC issued a draft determination proposing to grant authorisation for five years.

On 4 September 2020, the ACCC granted conditional authorisation to BSC until 26 September 2025.  If no application for review of the determination is made to the Australian Competition Tribunal, the authorisation will come into effect on 26 September 2020.

The full final determination decision document can be found below.

An indicative timetable is set out below for your information.