Learn / EV Battery Recycling Explained
The first wave of EV batteries sold a decade ago is starting to reach end of life, and the volume of battery scrap coming behind it is large enough to reshape parts of the wider metals market. Here's what's actually recovered, and how.
Annual end-of-life and production scrap is projected to rise from around 1.4 million tonnes in 2026 to somewhere between 5 and 7 million tonnes a year by 2030, roughly a fourfold increase in under five years. China, the EU, and North America each already operate several dedicated recycling plants running above 100,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
The highest-recovery metal in the pack; some advanced processors report 99.6% for nickel, cobalt, and manganese combined.
Recovered alongside nickel in the same hydrometallurgical stage.
Historically the hardest metal to recover economically; modern hydrometallurgical processes have closed most of that gap.
Modern recovery mostly relies on hydrometallurgical processing, dissolving battery material to selectively extract metals in solution, which recovers significantly more than older smelting-only methods. Recycled metal already covers an estimated 10 to 15% of global nickel and cobalt demand for new batteries, and 5 to 10% of lithium demand.
Battery material involves different chemistry, hazard handling, and regulatory requirements than the ferrous and non-ferrous scrap ScrapTrade lists today. We're covering this because it's reshaping the broader metals market our sellers and buyers already trade in, not because it's something you can list on the platform right now.
Annual end-of-life and production scrap is projected to rise from around 1.4 million tonnes in 2026 to somewhere between 5 and 7 million tonnes a year by 2030. China, the EU, and North America already each operate several recycling plants with capacity above 100,000 tonnes a year.
Modern battery recycling mostly uses a hydrometallurgical process, dissolving battery material in solution to selectively extract metals, rather than older smelting-only methods. It recovers up to roughly 95% of the lithium and cobalt and up to 97% of the nickel in a pack.
Yes, already. Recycled metal currently covers an estimated 10 to 15% of global nickel and cobalt demand for new batteries, and 5 to 10% of lithium demand. That share is expected to keep climbing as more first-generation EV batteries reach end of life.
No. Battery material involves different chemistry, different hazards, and specialised handling that standard ferrous and non-ferrous scrap doesn't require. ScrapTrade doesn't currently list a battery-material category; this guide is about understanding a fast-growing adjacent part of the industry, not a claim about what's tradeable on the platform today.
Because it's reshaping the metals market you do trade in. Recycled nickel and cobalt already competing with primary supply affects pricing dynamics across the broader non-ferrous market, and battery recycling plants are a genuinely new category of buyer for related feeder materials.
Real data on where the scrap and recycling industry is heading.
Visit the Learn Hub