American Battery Technology Company, an integrated critical battery materials company that is commercializing its technologies for both primary battery minerals manufacturing and secondary minerals lithium-ion battery recycling, will serve as the lithium-ion battery recycler for Pyxera Global and Terra’s Done with It pilot program, sponsored by FedEx, to test the viability of recovering used electronics (e-waste). The pilot program aims to develop circular business models for the logistics industry.
“Consumer electronics are notoriously difficult to efficiently collect, aggregate, and recycle,” stated Ross Polk, American Battery Technology Company’s director of business development. “We are excited to support this collection and recycling program, thanks to Pyxera, FedEx, and project partners. By removing barriers around cost and collection for consumers, ABTC aims to increase the amount of batteries entering the closed-loop supply chain in the United States.”
Residents of the continental U.S. wishing to donate their laptops and tablets may request a free FedEx shipping label and donation instructions by visiting the Done with It (Powered by Evercycle) website. The pilot program will accept items through December 15, 2023.
TERRA’s Done with It mail-in recycling program will facilitate the nationwide collection of laptops and tablets and will direct the donated devices to a secure FedEx facility located in middle Tennessee. To protect donor privacy, every device will have its internal memory wiped and/or physically destroyed in accordance with the R2v3 certification standards.
If a donated device is repairable, it will be sent to Electronics Recycling Solutions (ERS), a Nashville-area social enterprise that is also R2v3-certified and dedicated to training adults with developmental disabilities in high-demand repair skills. If the device cannot be fixed, it will be broken down and its component parts harvested for recycling. In particular, the batteries will be sent to ABTC, which will recover the materials necessary for a domestic battery metals supply chain, powering electric vehicles. The lithium-ion batteries will be recycled at ABTC’s commercial-scale, lithium-ion battery recycling facility located in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Nevada.