US E-Waste Deal Creates Rare Earth Supply for EVs

Your old laptop and broken hard drives might soon power the next generation of electric vehicles.

Electronics recycler ERI and rare earth company Cyclic Materials just signed a partnership to recover valuable minerals from mountains of discarded gadgets. The deal creates one of the largest commercial rare earth recycling operations in the United States.

Here's how it works: ERI processes over one million pounds of electronic waste every single day across eight US recycling centers. The company will use AI software to identify which old devices contain rare earth magnets and other critical materials, then ship those components to Cyclic Materials' plant in Mesa, Arizona.

Cyclic's facility can process up to 25,000 metric tonnes of old electronics each year. The process extracts rare earth elements essential for EV motors and wind turbines, plus recovers copper and aluminum as bonus materials.

Right now, most e-waste gets tossed without recovering these valuable minerals. That's a problem because demand for rare earths keeps growing, driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, AI, and advanced manufacturing.

The companies haven't said which products they'll recycle first, but they're already testing samples and identifying high-volume categories. ERI's California headquarters and Cyclic's Arizona plant give them coast-to-coast reach to collect and process materials.

The Ripple Effect

This partnership addresses two problems at once. First, it tackles America's dependence on imported rare earths, which has become increasingly risky as trade tensions rise. Second, it turns electronic waste from an environmental headache into a resource goldmine.

Recycling existing products works much faster than developing new mines, which can take years to permit and build. That speed matters when manufacturers need materials now to meet surging demand for clean energy technology.

The companies plan to bid jointly on government and commercial recycling contracts. Cyclic Materials is already expanding operations across North America, Europe, and Asia to build a global recovery network.

"This partnership will transform that volume into an impactful supply of rare earths for the US," said Cyclic Materials CEO Ahmad Ghahreman. ERI Chairman John Shegerian called Cyclic's technology a game changer for making rare earth recovery commercially accessible.

The companies haven't announced when recycled materials will start entering the supply chain, but they're currently building the feedstock system to keep operations running smoothly.

Your outdated gadgets just became critical infrastructure for America's clean energy future.