The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $62 million to help increase participation in consumer electronics battery recycling and improve the economics of battery recycling. The funding, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be used to support 17 projects, which were selected for the DOE’s Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection funding opportunity. Of the total funding, $14.4 million will be used to increase collection of end-of-life consumer electronics and stand-alone batteries for recycling, $40.1 million will be used to generate greater market demand for recycling consumer electronics batteries, and $7.2 million will be used to assist states and local governments in the initiation or enhancement of battery collection, recycling, and reprocessing.
In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “Capturing the full battery supply chain—from sourcing critical materials to manufacturing to recycling—puts the U.S. in the driver’s seat as we build our clean energy economy. With the historic support in President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are creating a sustainable, circular supply chain that lowers costs for consumers and boosts our manufacturing global competitive edge.”