Sing Tao Daily recently published a feature headlined "Rising EV Retirement Volumes Open a New Chapter for Battery Recycling". The newspaper reported that as the proportion of electric vehicles in Hong Kong continues to rise, and with power batteries lasting around five to ten years, the Government estimates that retired batteries will reach 6,700 tonnes by 2030, drawing growing public attention to targeted recycling measures. The earlier completion of a power battery recycling facility in Tuen Mun, with capacity to handle 10,000 tonnes, is set to change the landscape of recycling in Hong Kong.
According to the article, Hong Kong's First EV Battery Processing Plant is located at EcoPark in Tuen Mun and began operation in June. The facility converts retired power batteries into "black mass", composed mainly of valuable metal oxides, for export and sale. Ms Shirley Kwok, Managing Director of Chun Yang International (HK) Co., Ltd., told Sing Tao Daily that as of this month the facility had collected more than 100 tonnes of batteries, a figure in line with expectations at this stage. She expects that the Government's drive to popularise electric vehicles, together with the launch of various types of electric commercial vehicles, will drive up the number of retired batteries, creating economies of scale and lowering processing costs. The report further noted that the Government earlier estimated retired battery volumes would climb from about 1,300 tonnes this year to some 6,700 tonnes by 2030, and plans to introduce a Producer Responsibility Scheme for retired batteries, requiring stakeholders to share the responsibility for their collection, recycling and processing.
Ms Kwok told reporters that over the past few months the Company has been in discussion with car dealers and distributors as well as the automotive repair industry on possible areas of cooperation. She noted that many local agents and service centres already qualified to carry out battery repair are performing such work, but the responsibilities of individual stakeholders have yet to be defined through legislation to be drawn up by the Government, and she hopes future partnerships can be placed on a firmer footing.
On the safety of the facility, the Environmental Protection Department said in reply to Sing Tao Daily that the facility has adopted multiple measures to ensure battery safety. Retired batteries undergo thorough discharge and state-of-health checks at the facility, with high-risk batteries isolated in dedicated fire-rated compartments. Battery shredding is carried out in a protected, sealed environment, and the storage premises are under 24-hour intelligent surveillance.
Source: Sing Tao Daily, 16 October 2026, "Rising EV Retirement Volumes Open a New Chapter for Battery Recycling", reporter: Eric Fang
Full text: https://www.stheadline.com/society/3626666/
