Product stewardship schemes

NSW, and all other Australian jurisdictions, are working towards nationally aligned product stewardship schemes.

Product stewardship

Product stewardship involves taking responsibility for the full lifecycle of a product, including the development, design, creation, production, assembly, supply, use or re-use, collection, recovery, recycling or disposal of the product. It is one of the ways that businesses can promote and support the principles of a circular economy and reduce the impact, or potential impact, of a product on the environment and human health.

Product stewardship goes beyond extended producer responsibility (EPR), which involves producers taking physical or financial responsibility for managing the environmental impact of their products only at the post-consumer state of their lifecycle.

Product stewardship legislation in NSW

The Product Lifecycle Responsibility Act 2025 (PLR Act) allows for product stewardship requirements and targets to be established for the entire lifecycle of a regulated product. If a product becomes regulated under the PLR Act, brand owners of regulated products or product stewardship organisations can be required to:

• meet product stewardship requirements and/or targets
• prepare an action plan, submitted in an approved form and approved by the EPA before a regulated product is supplied in or into NSW
• notify the EPA or relevant product stewardship organisation before they first supply
• provide an annual report to the EPA, using an approved form
• prepare, store and make certain records available to the EPA on request
• comply with directions from the EPA, including a stop notice or request for an independent audit of their records
• provide a financial assurance to secure or guarantee funding for implementing actions needed to meet product stewardship requirements or targets.

The PLR Act also enables the EPA to enter into an agreement with a product stewardship organisation to manage and administer a product stewardship scheme.

Failure to comply with a product stewardship requirement or target, action plan or other direction from the EPA is an offence under the PLR Act.

The EPA may also publish information about brand owner names, product stewardship organisations and their performance against product stewardship requirements or targets, and compliance or non-compliance with the legislation.

The NSW Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act 2001 also provides for the implementation and operation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and/or product stewardship schemes in connection with a product, group of products or an industry in New South Wales.

Product stewardship scheme for batteries

The Product Lifecycle Responsibility Regulation 2026 establishes a mandatory product stewardship scheme for batteries in NSW. This Regulation will help to increase the safe disposal of end-of-life batteries and reduce the risk of fires from their improper disposal.

Types of batteries to be regulated

These changes apply to small and removable batteries weighing less than five kilograms, such as AA and power banks. It also covers batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters, whether removable or not.

The following are defined as ‘regulated batteries’ under the Regulation:

• A battery of the following sizes-
  • AAA
  • AA
  • C
  • D
  • 9 volt
  • 6 volt lantern
• A button battery or button cell battery
• A removable rechargeable battery weighing 5kg or less
• A rechargeable battery used to power an e-micromobility device
• A portable power bank weighing 5kg or less

If it is not practicable to remove a regulated battery from an e-micromobility device, the e-micromobility device is taken to be a regulated battery.

How reforms will be implemented

It is the intent of the EPA to enter into a stewardship administration agreement with a product stewardship organisation(s) to administer the scheme. Where a stewardship administration agreement is in place for a type of regulated battery, it will be mandatory for a brand owner who supplies the type of battery into NSW to be a party to an agreement with the designated product stewardship organisation. 

If a stewardship administration agreement does not apply for a type of regulated battery, then the brand owner will be a responsible entity and must comply with the product stewardship requirements.

The responsible entity for a type of regulated battery will need to lodge, and have approved by the EPA, an action plan detailing how they plan to deliver the scheme, including facilitating a comprehensive collection network, ensuring safety and raising public awareness around safe battery disposal.

This will be either the product stewardship organisation or brand owner depending on whether a stewardship administration agreement is in place.

The EPA will provide updates to industry stakeholders. This will include what brand owners need to do to comply with the regulation.

The Regulation commences on 1 October 2026 or when the PLR Act commences, whichever date is the later. Once the scheme starts, and if a stewardship administration agreement for those battery types is in place, brand owners will be required to join and contribute fees based on the batteries they supply to fund the management, administration and operation of the scheme to ensure safe collection and recycling of batteries when they reach end of life.

Key features of the regulation include:

• Dedicated battery drop-off points for the community
• Public education to improve awareness of battery fire risks
• Annual reporting on the number and types of batteries supplied in NSW
• Improved transparency about types of batteries collected and the scheme’s performance

What battery brand owners need to do

Where a stewardship administration agreement is in place for a type of regulated battery, it will be mandatory for brand owners who supply batteries into NSW to be a party to an agreement with the designated product stewardship organisation. There could be more than one product stewardship organisation which would administer and manage the scheme under the regulation, enforced by the NSW EPA.

The product stewardship organisation/s will need to publish an approved action plan detailing how they plan to deliver the scheme, including facilitating a comprehensive collection network, ensuring safety and raising public awareness around safe battery disposal.

If a stewardship administration agreement does not apply for a type of regulated battery, then the brand owner will be a responsible entity and must comply with the product stewardship requirements in the Regulation.

The EPA will continue to provide updates to industry stakeholders. This will include what brand owners need to do to comply with the regulation and how the scheme will work.

Consultation on the Regulation

Public consultation on the draft Regulation ran from 16 October to 14 November 2025 via the EPA’s Have Your Say portal. There were 58 submissions including from industry, and community stakeholders.

There was broad support for mandatory product stewardship for batteries, along with feedback on the scope of batteries covered, the definition of a ‘brand owner,’ and advocacy for a nationally aligned approach across Australia. You can read the consultation summary report on the EPA consultation portal.

NSW Battery Product Stewardship Recycling Standard

The NSW Standard will ensure that recyclers participating in the battery product stewardship scheme meet minimum requirements.

It will require that the recycling of regulated batteries is undertaken by a person certified to the Australian Standard AS/NZS 5377:2022 Management of electrical and electronic equipment for re-use or recycling at a facility covered by that certification and undertake recycling in accordance with the Australian Standard. For further information read the NSW Batteries Product Stewardship Recycling Standard.

Supporting national initiatives

The NSW Government supports nationally aligned product stewardship arrangements for priority products through the National Waste Policy and National Waste Action Plan. NSW supports a nationally aligned approach to product stewardship because many products are sold in national markets and are problematic in all jurisdictions.

This includes developing and implementing partnerships across government and business to:

• ensure ownership and responsibility for actions to minimise the negative impacts from products,
• ensure the avoidance or minimisation of waste, and
• maximise reuse, repair and recycling of products and materials throughout their lifecycle.

The Commonwealth Government administers the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 which provides a national framework for industries to take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products throughout the entire product lifecycle, from the design stage through to when products become waste. Each year, the Commonwealth Minister provides a priority list of products and materials considered to be most in need of product stewardship action and that may need regulatory intervention if industry does not take voluntary action. All State and Territory governments provide input to this list.

National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme 

The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) was established in 2011 and requires companies who import or manufacture television and computer products (over certain thresholds) to pay for a proportion of recycling, by becoming members of a co-regulatory arrangement. The scheme is designed to build on existing recycling services that are already available, and increase the recovery of materials in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

This arrangement diverts television and computer products (including computer parts and printers) from landfill by providing Australian households and small businesses with free access to industry-funded collection and recycling services. Find out more about how to dispose of unwanted e-waste.

The scheme is regulated under the national Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 and the Recycling and Waste Reduction (Product stewardship–televisions and computers) Rules 2021. This legislation sets annual recycling targets for industry to meet, starting at 70% in 2021–2022 and increasing annually, to 80% for 2026–27 and onwards. Annual reports are published by the Commonwealth Government.

Product Stewardship for Oil Scheme 

The Product Stewardship for Oil Scheme (PSO) was introduced by the Australian Government in 2001 to increase used oil recycling. The scheme pays incentives to industry to encourage the environmentally sustainable management and re-refining of used oil and support economic recycling options for used oil. The scheme is regulated under the national Product Stewardship (Oil) Act 2000 which sets out the framework and incentives paid to used oil recyclers.

In NSW, small, household quantities of used oils can be taken free of charge to a Community Recycling Centre or Household Chemical CleanOut event. Check the community recycling page for further guidelines on what you can and can’t take to these facilities.

For business-related and commercial quantities of used oils, please inquire with a commercial waste operator or visit Business Recycling for commercial waste disposal options.

Consumer packaging

The National Environmental Protection Measure (Used Packaging Materials) 2011 (NEPM UPM) establishes a national, co-regulatory product stewardship arrangement for consumer packaging which sets obligations for certain businesses to manage their packaging waste in a sustainable way.

The NEPM UPM requires all states and territories to provide and enforce regulations to reduce the environmental impacts of consumer packaging across Australia. In NSW, the NEPM UPM is currently supported through Part 8 of the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014 (the Waste Regulation).

Under Part 8 of this Regulation, certain businesses (brand owners and retailers) with a gross annual income in Australia of $5 million or more, have an obligation to minimise the environmental impact of their packaging. Businesses can fulfil this responsibility by either:

• becoming a signatory to, and complying with, the Australian Packaging Covenant, OR
• choosing to be regulated by the EPA in accordance with specific recovery targets and the other reporting requirements set out in the Waste Regulation.

In the case of companies that choose to be regulated by the EPA, the packaging targets are as follows:

• 90% recovery of all materials used in packaging products up to and including 30 June 2026
• 100% of new and existing packaging must be reviewed using the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines.

As part of the commitments under the NSW Plastics Action Plan 2021, the NSW Government will require businesses who are not part of the Australian Packaging Covenant to also meet the 2025 National Packaging Targets. This means that packaging targets will change in future.

Find out more about whether these obligations apply to your business and options for meeting packaging waste obligations.

More information about product stewardship

Nationally accredited and regulated programs

See the Commonwealth Government's list of national product stewardship schemes that are mandatory, co-regulated, or have received a voluntary accreditation.

Voluntary programs

The Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence maintains a list of all product stewardship schemes in Australia, including voluntary industry initiatives and programs that are in development.

Industries in need of product stewardship action

The Commonwealth publishes the annual Minister’s product stewardship priority list, that identifies the products and materials considered to be most in need of a product stewardship approach. The Commonwealth Minister’s Priority List informs the community and industry about what is being considered for future regulation under the national Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, if industry does not take adequate action.