Hong Kong’s first large-scale recycling facility for decommissioned EV batteries is set to formally start production this month.
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said on June 3 the new facility is expected to help generate an annual economic added value for the territory of around HK$66 million ($8.5 million).
Acting environment and ecology secretary, Diane Wong, said the Tuen Mun EcoPark facility will process waste power batteries into black mass for onward shipment to the Chinese mainland and neighbouring region.
Retired EV batteries that still have a high reusable value will be repurposed into second-life products such as stationary energy storage systems.
There are currently five licensed chemical waste disposal facilities across the territory that capable of handling retired EV batteries, Wong said.
Between 2023 and 2025, about 130 tonnes of retired lithium EV batteries were preliminarily treated across the five facilities for transport overseas to authorised treatment facilities for recycling.
An updated EV policy roadmap issued by the territory’s government last February showed EVs in Hong Kong had increased more than fourfold from around 28,000 in 2021 to around 149,000 by the end of 2025. It is estimated that the number of electric private cars could surpass 290,000 by 2030 and approach nearly 500,000 by 2035.
According to Wong, the lifespan of EV batteries is generally five to 10 years. She said a rough estimate by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) indicated the volume of retired EV batteries over the next five years is projected to increase gradually from around 1,300 tonnes in 2026 to nearly 7,000 tonnes in 2030.
However, Wong said the actual lifespan of each EV battery was affected by various factors, including whether the battery had been repaired, the owner’s charging habits and the battery’s chemical composition. In addition, as some batteries may be replaced or recycled before reaching their service life, the actual quantity of retired EV batteries may differ from the estimate.
In a related move, Wong said the EPD plans to require suppliers who distribute EV batteries in Hong Kong to register with the department before distribution, and to submit information regarding the batteries, such as battery identification numbers, weight and quantities distributed, on a regular basis.
The EPD is also consulting the sector on a producer responsibility scheme for EV batteries, including how to improve the traceability mechanism for EV batteries to enhance the effectiveness of battery lifecycle management.
According to a study released by European clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) in December 2024, the estimated recovery of 105,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, nickel, cobalt and manganese from recycling in Europe by 2030 could enable the production of 1.3 to 2.4 million battery electric cars (or 14% to 25% of the projected battery electric cars sales) ― assuming a medium sized electric car with a battery capacity of 74kWh and the average car chemistry mix in that year.
