LONDON, UK: Technology Minerals Plc (LSE: TM1), the first listed UK company focused on creating a sustainable circular economy for battery metals, announces that Recyclus Group Ltd, its 49%-owned battery recycling business, has received ABTO status from the Environmental Agency for its recycling site in Tipton, West Midlands.

The approval means that Recyclus can immediately commence manual recycling operations at its lead-acid facility.

Under ABTO status, Recyclus is authorised to produce up to 15,000MT per annum of lead and store up to 300MT of inbound stock at any one time on site. The new authorisation marks the beginning of phase one of the recycling operations, which will move to a fully automated recycling process in phase two later this year following receipt of the variation of licence. The Recyclus system recycles the entire battery into separate constituent parts, to ensure recovery of lead, acid, and plastic materials, which are then reused to support a wide range of industries. For example, the hard lead can be used in grids and terminals, the soft lead for battery paste, and the sulphuric acid into fertilisers for agricultural use.

Robin Brundle, Chairman of Technology Minerals, said: “We are delighted to have our ABTO status confirmed by the Environmental Agency, so we can kick-start recycling operations, close deals in the pipeline, and start generating revenues from this site. Once fully operational, the Tipton plant positions us to become one of the leading accredited battery recyclers internationally.

“The lead-acid battery recycling industry is currently a major polluter, with over 18,000 tonnes of spent batteries incinerated or sent to landfill each year in the UK alone. It is vital that companies look to strip back ‘greenwashing’ and promote homegrown waste management solutions if the UK is to achieve its COP26 net zero targets.

“Our operations will help to divert waste from landfill, enabling key resources to be kept in use for longer, minimising waste and reducing the environmental impacts of spent batteries. These efforts underscore our commitment to developing a truly circular economy for battery metals that will help propel the green transition and meet the net zero 2050 targets. We look forward to reporting on our progress in the coming weeks and months.”