“When it comes to recycling the batteries, we know most UK companies export their end-of-life units to Europe and other parts of the world for recycling and material recovery and as a result transport accounts for around a third of the cost associated with the service,” said Sam Haig (pictured), battery recycling manager at the company, RS Bruce. “At present there is no capability for lithium-ion battery recycling in the UK, and facilities are needed to address this growing challenge.”
RS Bruce is quoting the University of Warwick’s ‘Automotive lithium ion battery recycling in the UK’ report, saying that it is expected that from 2035 every new passenger car sold across the country will have a lithium ion chemistry traction battery, and by 2040 339,000 tonnes of these batteries will reach end-of-life – having an average lifespan of ~11 years and containing metals including lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper.
Founded in Sheffield in 1974, RSBruce removes, recovers and recycles precious metals, primarily ‘platinum group metals (of which it claims to have recovered £1.5bn worth so far), gold and silver.
“Our facility welcomes customer audits, meaning our clients have peace of mind knowing their products are being recycled responsibly,” according to Haig.
RS Bruce website
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