Goodbye Exide

I'm sorry that 40 people are now unemployed, but I am very glad this blot on the Petone landscape is going. I hope the decommissioning means razing the whole ugly plant to the ground.

Press Release – Exide Technologies
Exide Technologies, a global leader in stored electrical energy, announced today that it will close its Petone recycling center on March 31. The announcement was communicated this morning to the 40 employees at the Petone facility.

“As a result of the New Zealand Court of Appeal’s decision to permit the continued and unlimited export of used lead-acid batteries from New Zealand, we have concluded that it is necessary to close our facility,” said John Cowpe, Managing Director, Exide Australasia.

“Without a sufficient amount of raw material coming into the facility, we are unable to effectively and profitably operate the business. We are disappointed with the Court’s decision and the negative impact on the citizens of New Zealand who no longer have a recycling facility in their country, as well as on our employees. We want to thank them for their years of dedicated service in supporting our recycling efforts.”

After March 31, a limited number of employees will remain temporarily to ensure proper closure and maintenance of the facility. Exide is working closely with the Council to ensure that all appropriate environmental requirements are met through the decommissioning process.