Toxco: The biggest little recycler in the world


Minuteman missile silos, submarine torpedoes, oil and gas wells, lap-top computers, military field radios, and hybrid vehicles have one thing in common: they are all powered by lithium batteries. And the only plant worldwide that recycles primary lithium batteries is Toxco here in Trail.

 

Bill McLaughlin came here from California 12 years ago with the notion to process obsolete military batteries. Why here? Trail has grown up with the metals industry. The local people understand metals; the government regulators are used to dealing with them; there was a local source of liquefied gas and potential synergy with Teck Cominco. It was a huge challenge to convince the US military to let their contracts to a small entrepreneur in Canada. However, Toxco, with the help of local expertise and financing, built their plant and proved they could do the job efficiently and safely.

 

Safety is crucial. Lithium is extremely reactive - it reacts violently with water and must be processed in a super cooled state using liquid nitrogen. The batteries are shredded and the lithium extracted to be re-used in high temperature grease.

 

Toxco now employs nine people handling a wide variety of batteries and customers. Manager Kathy Bruce spends much of her time managing the plethora of regulations imposed on imported 'wastes' by the UN, OECD and Canadian agencies. Customers conduct frequent environmental audits to confirm their wastes are being properly processed. "We have good prospects for future growth, particularly as the new hybrid vehicles catch on," she said. "And hopefully more consumer batteries as landfills prohibit disposal."

 

Toxco contact information -Kathy Bruce, plant manager

 

Clustering metals businesses breeds more business opportunity

 
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