As seasoned Melbourne event photographers, we thrive on turning pivotal moments into stories that resonate across industries. When the narrative centers on tangible environmental progress—people, breakthrough technology, and milestones that propel change—we find our work both meaningful and exhilarating.
In September 2025, we were honored to document the grand opening of EcoBatt’s Battery‑in‑Device Shredding (BIDS) Plant in Victoria. This facility is not only Australia’s first of its kind but also a world first, marking a significant leap forward in responsible battery management.
The ceremony featured the Hon. Steve Dimopoulos MP, Victorian Minister for Environment, who joined EcoCycle Group CEO Doug Rowe to officially inaugurate the plant. The Hon. Christopher Pyne of Pyne & Partners served as the event’s MC, adding a distinguished presence to the proceedings.
Behind this engineering marvel lies a partnership between EcoBatt and Gloyd Recycling Solutions, who collaborated on the design and construction of the plant. The project received a $2 million grant from the Circular Economy Infrastructure Fund – Hazardous Waste, delivered by Sustainability Victoria under the Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria: a new economy initiative, underscoring its public and commercial significance.
What the BIDS Plant achieves is quietly transformative. With the proliferation of devices—phones, laptops, toothbrushes, power tools—battery configurations are becoming increasingly complex. The plant employs specialized shredding and separation technology to extract batteries safely, recovering more than 90 percent of valuable materials, including metals and plastics. It can process up to one tonne of devices per hour, making large‑scale, onshore recycling a reality.
As CEO Doug Rowe explained, ‘Every home contains products with hidden batteries, and until now there has been no dedicated, scalable way to recover them. This plant changes that—safely, onshore, and responsibly.’