Lithium Australia NL’s (ASX: LIT) 90%-owned subsidiary Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd – a national leader in mixed- battery collection and recycling – has had a land use permit application for its new Laverton site in Victoria approved.
Envirostream has expanded its Victorian operations to include the new site in Laverton, which lies within the Wyndham City Council precinct. The premises – located at 17-19 Maria Street, Laverton North, within the Industrial 2 Zone (IN2Z) – is subject to the conditions of clause 33.02 of the Wyndham Planning Scheme. Envirostream staff worked with all relevant regulatory bodies in Victoria, including Worksafe, EPA, FRV and Wyndham City Council, to achieve this outcome.
The Laverton site is now fully permitted for receipt of end-of-life batteries and electronic waste, as well as storage, sorting, shredding and separation of same, and, ultimately, the sale of a mixed-metal-dust product to customers. The Laverton site increases Envirostream’s storage capacity by around 300% and sorting capacity by around 100%.
Expanding its operational space puts Envirostream ahead of demand for electric-vehicle and energy-storage-system battery dismantling. Laverton is permitted to store 300 tonnes of batteries at any one time, which allows for the increases in volumes of spent batteries expected as a result of the handheld-battery collection network being established as part of the national Battery Stewardship Scheme.
Lithium Australia Managing Director, Adrian Griffin, said installation of new modules – capable of sorting 4,000 kilograms of mixed spent batteries daily – at Laverton is expected to increase throughput while capturing necessary data for customers, regulators and the Battery Stewardship Council itself.
“The company is pleased to announce this permit for the new Envirostream site at Laverton; it will service the battery recycling industry better by allowing safer handling and storage,” Mr Griffin said.
“Capturing larger volumes of spent lithium-ion batteries in particular helps the company create a secure battery supply chain … further underpinning the investment of Lithium Australia shareholders.
“With the Battery Stewardship Scheme commencing next month, the timing could not be better: permitting of the Laverton facility means the Company is well prepared for the expected increase in volumes of spent batteries available for recycling.” For further information please visit: https://lithium-au.com/
