UK doesn’t have ‘enough capacity’ to meet future EV battery recycling targets, says Veolia boss
Around 350,000 tonnes of material will need to be processed by 2040.
The UK won’t have enough capacity to recycle the correct number of electric vehicle batteries in the future unless more reprocessing facilities are given the go-ahead.
That’s according to Cory Reynolds, corporate affairs and communications director for Veolia, one of the largest waste management providers in the UK.
— Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee (@HLEnviroClimate) October 18, 2023
Speaking at an Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting today (October 18), Reynolds said that current projections see that up to 350,000 tonnes of material will need to be processed by 2040 and that ‘there isn’t currently enough capacity in the UK to be able to process that material.’
Though Veolia already operates a battery reprocessing facility in Minworth, in the West Midlands, where 5,000 tonnes of batteries are broken down and recycled, Reynolds said that ‘at least’ 10 times the number of these facilities would be required to meet future demand.
She added that ‘faster and more efficient planning permission given for these types of facilities’ would be required to speed up development and free up more capacity for future recycling requirements.
“It is worth saying that batteries within general waste streams at the moment are a huge problem for the waste industry,” Reynolds added.
“They cause regular fires, stopping our capabilities of processing waste and that’s not just [large] batteries, it’s small electrical batteries. So scooters, toothbrushes even as far as vapes.”
