The Federal Government will commence a review of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 which helps to reduce the environmental and health impacts of products.

The Act does this by encouraging industries to improve the design and manufacture of their products, and to collect valuable or harmful materials for reuse or responsible disposal.

This is the first review of the Act since it commenced in 2011, and the Department of Environment and Energy will actively seek input from industry, governments and the general public to ensure the Act continues to be effective and is delivering the best outcomes for business and the environment.

The Act currently supports the successful National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NCTRS) which has recycled approximately 184,500 tonnes of electronic waste since 2012.

The review will provide an important opportunity to continue to update and improve the NTCRS, which was updated following an operational review in 2014-15, including the possibility to include other electronic products.

The Act also provides accreditation for industry-led voluntary arrangements such as MobileMuster which is the only industry-led mobile phone recycling program in the world that has collected and recycled more than 10 million handsets since 1998.

The Act also establishes the Minister’s Product List, which is updated annually and informs the community and industry of those products being considered for possible accreditation or regulation under the Act.

Products under consideration during the 2016-2017 financial year, include batteries, photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, used oil bottles, and plastic microbeads.

The review will also examine the adequacy of services provided by industry to remote and regional communities and the way in which exports of working computers for reuse in other countries is accounted for and reported under the scheme.

The will commence immediately and is scheduled to conclude in the first half of 2018.