TRAIL, British Columbia, October 28, 2022 – KC Recycling, the leading recycler in the Pacific Northwest for lead batteries has partnered with East Penn Manufacturing, a top lead battery manufacturer, to recycle plastic from spent lead batteries directly into new batteries.
Earlier this year, KC Recycling commissioned a new polypropylene extrusion line, which can produce 10,000 metric tons annually of high-quality plastic resin. East Penn Manufacturing, a long-time champion of the battery circular economy, utilized the KC Recycling recycling facilities to close the loop for its plastic molding operation in its lead battery manufacturing facility in Iowa. East Penn Manufacturing sends spent lead batteries to KC Recycling’s facility in British Columbia where the components are separated and recycled. The plastic is sent to KC Recycling’s new extrusion line where 100% recycled content polypropylene resin is produced to meet East Penn Manufacturing’s exacting specifications. The companies expect the partnership to recycle a significant amount of plastic annually, which turns what could have been plastic waste into a new raw material resource.
KC Recycling’s plastic recycling plant supplies reprocessed polypropylene resin to manufacturers across North America to produce battery cases, pain buckets, plastic liners, and more. “The 75-person strong team at KC Recycling is extremely proud of our new plastic plant. This project caught the attention of the public and policy makers as a benchmark for solving the challenges of plastic recycling. In the coming years we expect to double or triple our production by incorporating new post-consumer plastic products such as car seats, paint buckets, and more lead batteries.”
“We at Metal Tech Alley, are proud to have companies like KC Recycling in our region. This partnership with East Penn Manufacturing will further advance the area as leaders in Industrial Circular Economy” says Jacomien van Tonder, Director Metal Tech Alley.
East Penn Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of high-quality lead batteries and accessories for the automotive, marine, motive power, UPS, and telecommunication markets. The company’s quality and environmental systems for its entire 520-acre complex have been certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO/TS 16949:2016, and ISO 1400:2015 requirements. For more information, visit the company website at www.dekabatteries.com.
Lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product in North America with over 99% of the lead recovered and recycled. To learn more about the circular economy for lead batteries in North America go to https://essentialenergyeveryday.com.
Media Contacts
Joel Brady
Director Marketing Communications, East Penn Manufacturing Co.
102 Deka Rd., Lyon Station, PA 19536
Ph. 610.682.6361
jbrady@dekabatteries.com