Next time you visit an Audi dealership, check if you have some old, lithium-ion battery-powered devices lying around because the Volkswagen Group of America wants them.
Audi and Redwood Materials launched a “unique consumer-facing program(Opens in a new window)” this week, allowing old devices to be recycled simply by visiting a dealership and depositing them in a Redwood recycling bin. The batteries they contain will then be used by Redwood to manufacture new (and more sustainable) electric vehicle batteries.
Redwood points out that lithium-ion batteries contain cobalt, copper, nickel, and lithium, and all of them can be recycled “almost infinitely.” There is no trade-off in performance when reusing them for new batteries, but by recycling them we keep the metals out of landfill. Right now, Redwood says less than 5% of lithium-ion battery-containing devices are recycled.
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This new program is actually an expansion of the existing relationship Redwood has with the Volkswagen group to recycle all end-of-life batteries(Opens in a new window) in Audi and VW vehicles. The company secured a similar relationship with Ford(Opens in a new window) back in September, and recently partnered with Rotary International(Opens in a new window) to make it easier for consumers to recycle their old household batteries.
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