Toyota to recycle used car parts at new Burnaston UK factory

A new facility designed specifically to recycle cars and their batteries will be opened at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in the UK this autumn, with the manufacturer officially validating used car parts for the first time.

The firm announced its plans to create the first of a global series of ‘Toyota Circular Factories’ at Burnaston during a conference in Brussels yesterday. Initially capable of recycling 10,000 vehicles annually, the new plant will operate alongside the existing Corolla factory, which Toyota has confirmed will remain Burnaston’s principle activity.

According to a company statement, Toyota’s recycling efforts will be split into three core areas. These include reclaiming reusable vehicle components and parts, salvaging commodity items for remanufacturing, and recycling other materials.

How will recycled parts and materials be used?

Reclaimed Toyota car parts will be resold into the market via retailers and distributors, following what the company calls “a comprehensive validation process”, while ‘commodity items’ including batteries and wheels are to be assessed for their potential to be remanufactured, repurposed or recycled, it says. 

Raw materials that will be collected and recycled include copper, aluminium, steel and plastic. These will replace so-called ‘virgin materials’ where possible in the production process.

“We initially anticipate recycling around 10,000 vehicles a year in our UK facility, which will give new life to 120,000 parts, recover 300 tonnes of high-purity plastic and 8,200 tonnes of steel - amongst other materials,” says Leon van der Merwe, Vice president of Circular Economy at Toyota Motor Europe. 

“As a next step for the Toyota Circular Factory concept, we plan to roll out similar operations across Europe. And we’re not stopping at our own facilities - we are eager to collaborate with other organisations who share our passion of circularity and commitment to carbon neutrality.” However the TCF plant at Burnaston will become “the centre of excellence for future recycling operations across Europe and worldwide”.

Toyota says its ultimate goal is to systematically recycle end-of-life vehicles, and it has also committed to becoming fully carbon neutral by 2040.

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