
Total Reclaim’s CEO Bobby Farris was hired three years ago to “rehabilitate the organization” after an export scandal. | Courtesy of Total Reclaim
Bobby Farris now has full control of Washington-based Total Reclaim, and he is targeting additional markets for the processor.

Under California’s SB 1215, consumers will be required to pay an electronic waste recycling fee upon the purchase of certain new or refurbished products starting Jan. 1, 2026. | Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock
California’s e-scrap recycling program will expand after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two battery-related bills into law.

Redwood Materials provides guidance, collection drums and other materials to Rotary Clubs around the country that want to host collection events for lithium-ion batteries and any devices that contain rechargeable batteries. | Courtesy of Redwood Materials
Redwood Materials is tapping into the outreach and organizing power of Rotary Clubs, allowing the major lithium-ion battery processor to collect household e-scrap and batteries from across the U.S.

A large fire erupted this month at a building used for battery recycling by Interco Trading in Illinois. | Courtesy of Madison County, Ill. Emergency Management Agency
A fire at e-scrap recycler Interco Trading on Aug. 10 drew more than 200 firefighters, injured one worker and triggered shelter-in-place warnings for nearby residents.

A columnist with The Washington Post called for an end to planned obsolescence and adding repairability scores to packaging. | Nicole Glass Photography/Shutterstock
A major news outlet released an analysis of 14 popular consumer devices, finding that most could stop working in three to four years because of batteries that are impossible to replace.

New battery recycling guidelines are in development by the U.S. EPA. | Courtesy of Call2Recycle
Congress directed the U.S. EPA to develop voluntary battery recycling labeling guidelines instead of mandatory regulations, but the head of an industry group believes they’ll still have a significant impact on the industry.

The Battery Master Mill is designed for the post-treatment and ball shaping of anode and cathode material to remove the black mass from the anode and cathode foils. | Courtesy of swissRTec
Recycling technology company swissRTec has developed the Battery Master Mill to handle anode and cathode material from lithium-ion batteries.
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Li-Cycle has opened a 140,000 square-foot facility in Arizona with a capacity to process 10,000 tons of materials per year. | Courtesy of Li-Cycle
Lithium-ion battery recyclers are moving forward with new facilities, with Li-Cycle bringing a plant on-line and Blue Whale Materials announcing plans for five plants in the U.S. and Europe.
University researchers in Texas are developing a nontoxic leaching solution to recover cobalt and lithium from end-of-life batteries.
