Powering Australia, ABRI and Standards Australia release national lithium battery transport guide

Powering Australia is pleased to share the release of Used Lithium Batteries – Guidance on Safe Packaging and Transport by Road and Rail, a practical new resource for commercial organisations involved in the packaging and land transport of used lithium batteries for recycling.
The Guide resulted from collaboration and co-funding between Powering Australia and the Association for the Battery Recycling Industry (ABRI) and developed by Standards Australia. It seeks to respond to a clear industry need for information about how to support the safe, compliant, and sustainable transport of used lithium batteries across Australian road and rail networks.

It provides foundational guidance on the regulatory requirements, packaging obligations, documentation procedures, and safety practices that apply across all eight Australian jurisdictions.

This Guide is written for commercial organisations proactively involved in the collection, packaging, and land transport of used lithium batteries for recycling, reuse, or repair. It is not written for residential consumers. This Guide is not intended to apply to batteries incorrectly or inappropriately disposed of in another waste stream. The principal audience segments and their primary responsibilities are as follows:

• Collection point operators: battery triage, initial packaging, and labelling.
• Logistics coordinators and dispatchers: dangerous goods documentation, waste tracking, and carrier engagement.
• Transport operators and drivers: vehicle requirements, placarding, load restraint, and emergency response.
• Consolidation hub operators: storage obligations, WHS thresholds, and intermodal handover.
• Compliance managers: legal compliance across all regulatory layers

Developed in collaboration with an expert advisory panel, the Guide benefits from the input of professionals with deep knowledge of battery logistics, dangerous goods regulation, and practical operational experience. Like any document in a developing area, this initial edition will need to be reviewed and updated as the regulatory environment evolves, as industry practice matures, and as new battery technologies and logistics models emerge.

Powering Australia operates the Building Future Battery Capabilities Program on behalf of the Federal Government and this Guide is part of our commitment to improving Battery Safety Standards and Regulation.

Read the full guide here: Used Lithium Batteries – Guidance on Safe Packaging and Transport by Road and Rail