The Circular Future - Advancing Business Circularity
Welcome to the Circular Future – a podcast that facetimes you with the challenges of e-waste and its impact on the world. Join Stephanie McLarty, Head of Sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle Partners, as she interviews industry thinktanks who share their insights on the trends in reuse and recycling of technology. This podcast is for you if you are responsible for managing your company’s electronics or are simply curious about all things e-waste, sustainability, carbon emissions, data security and more. Each episode finishes with actionable advice for business managers and leaders to do their part in helping build a circular future.
The Circular Future - Advancing Business Circularity
61. From AA to EV: How Battery Recycling Builds a Circular Supply Chain
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In this episode, Stephanie McLarty sits down with Danielle Spalding from Cirba Solutions to dive deep into the world of battery recycling and its vital role in the circular economy. With over 35 years of experience, Cirba Solutions is at the forefront of domestic battery processing in North America, handling everything from common household alkalines to complex electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Key topics discussed in this episode:
- Circular Economy & Critical Minerals: How recycling batteries recovers valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel to strengthen the domestic supply chain and reduce reliance on virgin mining.
- From Batteries to Agriculture: An inside look at how recycled alkaline batteries are transformed into micronutrients to help grow crops like corn and soybeans.
- Safety & Education: The importance of properly preparing batteries for recycling—including the "clear tape" method—and why you should never throw batteries in your curbside bins.
- The Evolving Policy Landscape: A look at the future of battery technology and the policies, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), that are shaping the industry.
Thanks for tuning in to The Circular Future. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Interested in joining us as a guest? Reach out to Sanjay Trivedi at strivedi@quantumlifecycle.com.
Listen to more episodes at https://quantumlifecycle.com/podcast, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn.
