Interco – A Metaltronics Recycler

Interco – A Metaltronics Recycler – recycles more than 10,000 tons of automotive scrap and scrap Lithium-ion EV batteries each month. The 450,000+ sqft. Interco Metaltronics recycling facility is comprised of five buildings on more than 40 acres centrally located on the Illinois-side of St. Louis in the shadows of the Gateway Arch. The facility boasts a 145,000 sq. ft. processing plant dedicated to the processing of computers and electronics and 40,000 sq. ft. battery recycling plant. At present the Interco battery processing plant is capable of recycling more than 3,000 tons of Lithium-ion EV batteries per month with expansion underway to more than triple that amount. The remainder of the indoor facility is used for the processing of nonferrous industrial metals.

 State-of-the Art Lithium-ion EV Battery Recycling Plant

The emergence of the electric vehicle market created a need for large-scale Lithium-ion and NiMH battery recycling. In 2013 Interco began the quest to recycle these batteries and since that time has become the largest recycler of Lithium-ion EV batteries and NiMH hybrid batteries in North America. The state-of-the-art battery Interco processing plant currently has four patents pending and high-tech fire detection and suppression and environmental systems, as well. In addition, the byproducts generated by the plant stay in the United States rather than being shipped to Asia. This helps protect the critical domestic supply chain of these very vital elements in the EV battery manufacturing process.

High Volume & Large Variety of Material

Interco handles approximately 50 loads of scrap material each day consisting of more than 300 different types of scrap. Although Interco buys straight loads of material on a regular basis, the company specializes in mixed loads. Recyclers ship loads containing many different items separated by commodity. Loads often include pallets of scrap aluminum wheels, lead-acid batteries, boxes of alternators and starters, transmissions, stacked or baled radiators or radiator-ends, sealed units, wire harnesses, AC compressors, and loads and loads of copper-wound electric motors. In fact, Interco buys nearly 2,000 tons of electric motors each month from throughout North America.

Experts to the Industry

The Interco team sorts, grades, and processes materials into industrial consumer-ready packages. In turn, smelters, ingot makers, refineries, and brass and aluminum mills rely on Interco as a supplier to provide a recurring stream of material. Unlike many recyclers who broker or resell scrap to larger dealers, Interco aggregates and processes scrap material and packages it in straight load quantities for their industrial end-consumers partners in more than two dozen countries worldwide. The contracts with these companies allow Interco to pay top dollar for scrap material, typically higher than other recyclers without the expertise and breadth of recycling partners.

Certifications and Compliance

Interco has achieved certifications from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In addition, Interco is certified by Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) organization. The Interco Certifications are very important.

Interco has achieved the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems certification as well as the ISO 14001 Environmental and ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety management systems certifications. In addition, Interco is certified by Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) organization as an R2 electronics recycler.

For more information, go to www.intercotradingco.com.