New Zealand\'s only battery recycling plant may soon shutdown

Battery Recycling  |  2011-08-04 03:54:30   |   By

New Zealand's only battery recycling plant, Petone-based Exide smelter is on the verge of a shutdown as the company has run out of work following the country's only supplier of highly toxic lead batteries head offshore

WELLINGTON (Scrap Monster): New Zealand's only battery recycling plant, Petone-based Exide smelter is on the verge of a shutdown as the company has run out of work following the country's only supplier of highly toxic lead batteries head offshore.

Nearly 100,000 tonnes of toxic used lead acid batteries have been sent to Korea and the Philippines since the end of 2008, sparking warnings that New Zealand is acting illegally by ignoring its obligation under international treaties to treat hazardous waste onshore.

A source close to the company said crisis talks about closing Exide were now underway among its overseas owners but it was likely to shut down regardless, independent of any decision about its long term future.

A further four shipments of used batteries are awaiting permits for shipping overseas and if approved there would be no more work for the Petone plant, the source said.

A decision to close would be welcomed by local residents, who have fought a long running battle against the plant.

But it would also come at a cost of more than 40 jobs and leave New Zealand without any capability to recycle used lead acid batteries, which are considered a highly hazardous substance.

 The plant has a chequered history, including an explosion and a fire, and has twice been convicted for breaching emission limits designed to protect the health of nearby residents.

Under the Basel Convention, the Government has an international obligation to ensure the availability of adequate disposal facilities for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, if possible within New Zealand's borders. Stuff.co.nz reported.