A key goal of Materials Stewardship is managing the impacts and benefits of materials across their life cycles.
At Teck, we work to extend the useful life of metals and materials by actively promoting recycling within our company and our industry, and in partnership with government programs. From extraction to smelting to end use—this involves a shared responsibility across the supply chain for the sustainable production, use, reuse, recycling and end-of-life management of minerals and metals.
Recycling for Value Recovery
At Trail Operations, lead batteries are broken down and the lead is fed through the KIVCET furnace and recycled back into pure lead. This process resulted in 18,537 recycled tonnes of used lead in 2015.
Industrial Waste Processing
A portion of the hazardous wastes produced at our operations, including waste oil, solvents, antifreeze, paint, batteries and fluorescent tubes, can be recycled. This totalled 13,522 tonnes of recycled waste in 2015.
Domestic Recycling
Plastic water bottles are shredded and distributed to companies that pull, stretch and meld them into fibre for new bottles, providing up to an 86% energy savings over manufacturing new plastic.
We continue to share recycling best practices with all our operations and partners to promote effective, efficient and economic recycling of materials. Together, we can promote the efficient use of energy and resources in all aspects of our lives.
Learn more about how Teck is also helping keep batteries out of landfills and supporting zinc and health programs through our Zinc Saves Lives Battery Recycling Campaign.
