A Million

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Recycling for a sustainable future

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As we drive toward a fully electric future, GM remains committed to a circular economy model -  a system where old materials find new life through recycling and reuse. Battery recycling is one way to help create a sustainable future to protect our ecosystems, improve quality of life and preserve our natural resources.

Batteries make their way to almost every aspect of our lives.  If not recycled or reused, these batteries end up in landfills where the metals inside can take more than 100 years1 to decompose, further polluting Earth. Additionally, lithium batteries can cause landfill fires that smolder for many years, releasing toxic chemicals into the air we breathe and the atmosphere.

Recycling GM employee household and EV batteries

For nearly 20 years, GM has collaborated with Cirba Solutions, a company committed to the recovery of natural resources from spent batteries and diverting them from landfills. As the largest handler in the US of cross-chemistry battery management, Cirba Solutions charts a path forward in battery recycling.

GM and Cirba Solutions established programs that have enabled us to recycle millions of pounds of batteries including household batteries. Employees located at certain GM facilities across the US can conveniently drop batteries at designated  on-site kiosks.

Millions of pounds of batteries recycled: Ohio 18.2, Texas 17.5, Michigan 17.0, Indiana 4.1, Tennessee 1.2, Missouri 0.8, New York 0.5, Kentucky 0.3, Kansas 0.3

What happens to household batteries after they are collected? In short:

  1. Extensively trained battery recognition experts sort batteries to handle them safely, and properly identify and categorize them.
  2. The batteries then go to processing, which is done in-house without producing emissions. Experts separate the batteries into three components: zinc and manganese, steel and a plastic mix.

From household batteries to EV batteries

Our commitment to recycle household batteries is a foundation for our commitment to properly handling EV batteries.  Many EV batteries have a life expectancy of more than 20 years and while most of GM’s electric long-range vehicles have been on the road for 13 years or less, GM has processes to recycle electric vehicle batteries from prototypes to post-consumer EV batteries.  Cirba Solutions handles the transporting and disassembly of some of GM's EV batteries and includes the recycling of pre-production, production scrap and end-of-life batteries, including packs, cells, modules and damaged batteries.

With the help of Cirba Solutions, full vehicles and their battery packs go through a traceable disassembly process that converts battery materials into their modular or cellular form. Wiring, steel casing, circuit boards and other battery components are recycled through this process.

We’ve also developed options to recycle the containers that some EV batteries are transported in – often called “cocoon” containers.  Because these units are not easily recyclable, developing ways to reuse the containers is another option. John Bradburn, a GM sustainability team retiree, works with Cirba Solutions to imagine unique uses for the cocoon containers, including repurposing them into raised garden beds.

A group of people in a large garden gathered around a large battery container full of dirt.

Supporting GM communities

Working with a wide range of teams, education is at the forefront of battery recycling. With our shared efforts, we have not only been able to provide more access to battery recycling, we’ve also provided our communities with education about sustainability and tools for our employees to recycle their end-of-life batteries, including:

  • Training delivered to 60 members of the battery engineering community that provided insights into all types of batteries at end-of-life with emphasis on why it is important to recycle.
  • For Earth Day 2021, GM and Cirba Solutions provided more than seven school districts in Michigan with access to educational resources about battery recycling for grades 5-9. In 2022, Cirba Solutions launched a Virtual Community Recycling module that was shared with GM’s Environmental Engineers for Earth Week.

Recharging the recycling conversation

Between recycling over one million pounds of household batteries, supporting our EV battery recycling and our impactful engagement opportunities, GM and Cirba Solutions continue to recharge the conversation about battery recycling.