Organisations invited to join EXITCYCLE

Organisations from both the private and government sectors in Queensland are being invited by the Lighting Council Australia to become signatories to lighting recycling program EXITCYCLE.

The voluntary product stewardship initiative is aimed at increasing the recycling rate of end-of-life emergency and exit lighting batteries.

About 90% of batteries used in emergency and exit lighting are nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd), which are among the most hazardous of all batteries.

It is anticipated that the pilot program, running in Queensland for 12 months, will provide valuable information on collection and recycling issues associated with this class of batteries.

There are two types of EXITCYCLE signatories:

• Commercial Users — for example, shopping centres, offices, universities, sporting venues, ports, airports, hospitals, manufacturing plants, industrial sites and local government.
• Facilitators — for example, battery recyclers and collectors, electrical contractors, peak bodies, media and government agencies.

Commercial Users commit to recycle at least 95% (and preferably all) of their end-of-life emergency and exit lighting batteries, while Facilitator signatories will commit to promote the scheme to users of these batteries.

Lighting Council Australia hopes to migrate the pilot scheme to a fully fledged national voluntary recycling program at the end of the 12-month trial.

The pilot is being funded by the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP) to inform the development of a national stewardship program for all rechargeable batteries.