Lithium-Ion
Battery Recycling

Redwood Materials is creating a circular supply chain for lithium-ion batteries, making them more sustainable and driving down the cost for electric vehicles and clean energy products. By developing fully closed-loop recycling for lithium-ion batteries here in the US, we can decrease our reliance on mining, lower the costs of clean technologies and increase the sustainability of our products.  We believe utilizing the power of Rotary Clubs we can educate and build momentum for consumer recycling of lithium-ion batteries.  

 

"The largest lithium and cobalt reserves in the western hemisphere sit in America’s junk drawers”.  

– JB Straubel, Founder & CEO, Redwood Materials (previously co-founder and CTO at Tesla).

 

We start with the periodic table. All lithium-ion batteries are made up of varying amounts of metals like cobalt, copper, nickel and lithium. Your smart phones, laptops and electric vehicles all have batteries made of these same metals.   If we recover materials from old, end-of-life products, which can be sustainably broken down to their raw metals nearly infinitely, we significantly decrease society’s reliance on newly mined materials. Some of the largest lithium and cobalt mines in the western hemisphere can be found in the junk drawers of America and we’re on a mission to collect as many of these old products as possible to sustainably recycle, refine, and remanufacture these batteries here in America. 

 

Today, 6 GWh of lithium-ion batteries or the equivalent of 60,000 EVs, come through Redwood’s doors already - most of the recycled lithium-ion batteries in North America today. We receive these batteries directly from businesses like Amazon, Ford, Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, Panasonic, and Specialized Bicycles. However, by working directly with our local communities, we can help get consumers’ old batteries and products into this circular process too.  

 

Together, our goal is to have Rotary Clubs across America and Redwood Materials, working together, to offer convenient lithium-ion recycling events for their communities.  

 

We kicked-off with successful consumer recycling events with the Rotary Clubs of Los Altos, Cupertino and San Jose, collecting over 1700 lbs. of lithium-ion batteries.  

 

As part of this consumer recycling program, we will be collecting all household items that contain a rechargeable (lithium-ion) battery. This includes old cell phones, laptops, tablets, electric toothbrushes, vapes, hair clippers, electric shavers, laptops, power tool batteries, Bluetooth speakers, rechargeable vacuum batteries, video game batteries, e-bike batteries, wireless headphones, and more!  

 

This program brings us one step closer to creating a domestic, circular supply chain for all end-of-life batteries and solving the environmental impacts of new products before they happen.