Page 18 from: What’s inside issue #4?

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tre and lab is already in use. The con-
crete foundations have been complet-
ed and construction of the production
halls is about to begin.

MADE AT EXITCOM
Again, Ilgar is saving money by devel-
oping parts of the lines and some of
the equipment in-house. ‘Investments
may be peanuts for big players in the
industry but not for me,’ he says. ‘I’ve
built a shredder that’s cost me EUR
300 000 by purchasing the parts and
components myself. Outsourcing
would have cost me at least EUR 1 mil-
lion. So that’s how I save money.’

AWAITING THE EV WAVE
Extra capacity will allow Exitcom to be
ready for the growing stream of EV
batteries. Türkiye is currently third
(after Macedonia and Bosnia) on the
list of European countries with the
fewest electric cars but that will
change, according to market analysts.
It helps that Türkiye has launched its
own fully electric car, the Togg. Made
in Türkiye, Togg entered production in
2022 and it’s already the most sold EV
in the country, with 20 000 cars pro-
duced in 2023.
Meanwhile petrol stations along the
new 425 km Istanbul – Izmir motorway
are being prepared for more electric
cars with EV charging units popping
up on a large scale. ‘It’s a matter of
time,’ says Ilgar. ‘Electric mobility will
take over across Europe including
Türkiye, beginning in the western
part.’

BATTERY PASSPORT
Ilgar has received massive support from
the Turkish government. The impor-
tance of recycling for Türkiye’s sustain-
able future was underlined by the
country’s environment minister during a
speech in Ankara in late June. ‘Türkiye
more or less follows EU regulations and
standards when it comes to recycling,’
says the entrepreneur. ‘Recycling is hot
and it is important the decision makers
support that by real action.’
As in the EU, a battery ‘passport’ will
be introduced to make all components
in electronic devices, including vehi-
cles, traceable. ‘It’s a good thing which
will only further boost recycling.’

TÜRKIYE’S FIRST BATTERY
RECYCLER
Established in 1999, Exitcom Recycling is a
pioneer in Turkish electronics recycling.
With facilities in Hannover, Germany and
Kocaeli, Türkiye, it offers innovative and
environmentally friendly waste
management solutions.
In 2015, Exitcom in partnership with
Türkiye’s Ministry of Environment and
Urbanisation and the Turkish research
centre Tübitak, launched the country’s first
and, so far, only battery recycling facility.
The plant recycles batteries collected from
municipalities, retail stores, associations
and other institutions across Türkiye.

CAPACITY
Physical operations: 10 000 tonnes of
batteries per year
Chemical operations: 1 000 tonnes per
year of lithium-ion battery powder
Melting operations: 1 800 tonnes per
year of alkaline manganese battery
powder

WHAT’S MORE…
With a capacity of 17 000 tonnes per
year, Exitcom was the first company in
Türkiye to recycle electronic waste,
including CRT/LCD screens, household
appliances, copper cable, lamps, and
toner cartridges. The company ensures
information security through
comprehensive data destruction services,
using smart software to securely erase
data from hard drives and other media.
It has partnerships with major brands,
OEMs and banks. Exitcom collaborates
with academic institutions on various
projects including reverse logistics
studies, waste management research and
the recovery of precious metals from
electronic waste.
Having a strong R&D focus, Exitcom is
involved in various research projects.
The company has received EU grants for
two Eramin (European Innovation
Partnership on Raw Materials) projects
and one Horizon project in the field of
lithium-ion battery recycling.
In addition, Exitcom and the Turkish
energy agency jointly work on a rare
earth metals recovery project. R&D
initiatives have also been launched for
lamp and toner cartridge recycling.

At the alkaline battery processing line.

Inside the hydrometallurgical battery recycling plant.

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