The latest investment now enables the facility to store and process over 36,000 tonnes of batteries a year.
The expansion also includes new material handling and processing lines and incoming reception, weighbridge and recovered product storage.
And, the facility licences have been upgraded with the Environment Agency to increase annual throughput and to allow the acceptance and handling of other battery types and chemistries.
Enva’s recycling process breaks down waste automotive and industrial batteries by separating and recovering their key components including metals, plastics and acid.
Metals and plastics, after further processing, are recovered for use in the manufacturing of new products.
Used battery acid is sent offsite to a licenced third party for neutralisation.
‘Significant increase’
Commenting on the expansion, Arvydas Pocevicius, the general manager of Enva’s battery business said: “Recycling batteries ensures valuable resources can be reused in more sustainable products and aren’t lost forever via landfill or incineration.
This expansion of our operations represents a significant increase in the UK’s lead acid battery recycling capacity. It will result in fewer batteries needing to be exported for treatment, driving additional CO2 savings. It has also directly created 12 new jobs in the region which we are now actively seeking to fill.”
Framework
It follows Enva being awarded a place on a national framework for the provisions of hazardous waste collection and disposal services (see letsrecycle.com story).
The places, awarded by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (EPS) awarded 11 companies in total, and covers the collection and disposal of a number of types of hazardous wastes, including alkaline batteries, battery acid and waste electrical and electronic equipment.
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