It’s no secret that the technology landscape continues to advance at pace, especially where the topic of all-things electric is concerned. Our sales director, Gary Moore was recently featured in Circular by the CIWM, discussing battery recycling in 2022 and beyond. 

If you’re a CIWM member, you can catch the original article here.

If we look at this specifically in the context of electric vehicles (EVs), it’s clear that a gradual shift in attitude – on both a governmental and societal level – is taking place. In fact, it’s predicted that by the end of this year, one in every 10 new cars in the UK will be electric.

Now, this may have something to do with the Government’s recent net-zero measures – announcing a ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 – but it could also be representative of a change in the tide of what businesses and consumers want.

For instance, car manufacturer, Tesla, has been paving the way in EV technology and promoting a more sustainable future for the world’s automobiles for almost two decades – developing cleaner and more environmentally considerate solutions, compared to their petrol or diesel counterparts.

Maybe now’s the time that this ‘need to be green’ will become more mainstream, as awareness of the topic rises?

While there’s no doubting that this self-reflection – in the context of being ‘green’ – has risen rapidly over the last few years, it is continuing to grow too. But this isn’t solely because of the topic’s presence at high-profile summit COP26, but also the various documentaries about plastic recycling, food waste, and oceanic pollution that have been appearing more regularly on our TV screens.

Nowadays, more people – on both a domestic and commercial level – are concerned about the impact they’re having on the planet. They’re passionate about contributing to positive change, and as a result, technologies such as EV and solar panels are gaining in popularity.

But what does all this talk about electric vehicle uptake have to do with the wider battery recycling debate in industry?

New technologies to spark innovation

With the obvious appetite for more environmentally conscious tech, and new solutions coming to the fore in their droves, this means that the waste and recycling industry has a bigger part than ever to play.

These new, ‘green’ technologies – whether cars, e-bikes, or solar panels – require lithium-ion batteries to operate, and with their usage set to further increase over the coming months and years, there must be the capability and infrastructure in place to be able to deal with them safely and effectively at the end of their life.

In truth, the UK doesn’t currently have the resource or measures in place to be able to handle the influx of tricky waste streams – such as batteries. Mass-scale recycling plants don’t yet exist in the here, but I think this will be set to change over the next 12 months, as the industry wakes up and realises that EV is less of a trend and more of a lifestyle change that’s here to stay.

Therefore, if we’re going to work towards being a more environmentally progressive nation, something must change – infrastructure needs planning, sectors professionals need to collaborate, and the Government needs to recognise this at a policy level too.

We can’t simply continue to reply upon Europe to deal with such waste, as this is neither economically nor environmentally sustainable. There’s also an argument that even our continental neighbours are only making the first steps in this market really.

As such, I think that this is where we will see one of the biggest areas for growth in industry as we look ahead to 2022 and beyond.

Having the mainstream recycling capabilities in place to help ethically and sustainably manage and dispose of this ‘troublesome’ and explosive material will not only help to reduce the number of lithium-ion batteries ending up in landfill, but likewise it will also help to prevent waste fires – of which 48% are caused by this kind of material in the UK each year.

Industry-wide innovation and collaboration

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is tricky, so it will undoubtedly take a real sense of togetherness across industry to help remedy the current challenges they throw up. But that’s why we need to work in partnership to come up with a long-term plan that works.

There are some major players on a global level that are already providing turnkey solutions for the recycling of this material, so there is plenty of knowledge and expertise to draw upon as the UK looks to shape its own battery recycling strategy – those conversations just need to be had.

Our collaboration with URT is specifically relevant in this space, as we provide the organisation with the shredding technology, for their own turnkey battery recycling solution – a system which covers everything from discharging, dismantling, and shredding, to drying, sieving, metal separation, and foil downstream treatment.

Battery recycling is already happening in small pockets of the world – we’re not moving from a standing start. That’s why I think 2022 will be the year we see this area of industry in the UK truly come on leaps and bounds. We’re extremely proud and excited to be a part of this wider puzzle – helping to make this a reachable reality – and with plenty of innovation and teamwork, I truly believe that the future of the sector looks very bright indeed.