Redwood Materials, the recycling company established by JB Straubel, formerly the Chief Technology Officer at Tesla, has begun offering its services to individual consumers, accepting their discarded electronic devices.

This development builds on the company’s core business of recycling materials from battery cell manufacturing and used electronics for business clients, including companies like Panasonic and Amazon.

A new “recycle with us” section has been added to the company’s website, stating that they will recycle lithium-ion batteries and e-waste, specifically accepting items such as phones, tablets, power tools, and any other device powered by a lithium-ion battery. Currently, the website provides only a mailing address for consumers to send their e-waste and a link to contact the company.

In a conversation with TechCrunch last October, Straubel indicated that the company might eventually extend its services to consumers due to the high volume of related requests. It appears Redwood Materials has now decided to proceed with this expansion.

According to a company representative, Redwood Materials is not imposing strict limitations on the types of items consumers can submit for recycling, and is even accepting cables. Redwood Materials communicated to TechCrunch that it intends to gather feedback from consumers and will refine the program over time, potentially including standardized shipping boxes and labels to streamline the recycling process.

Initially, Redwood Materials is launching the program in an open-ended manner to assess consumer participation.

A significant proportion of lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones and other everyday electronics are not currently recycled, often remaining unused in storage or being disposed of in landfills.

Redwood Materials is working to address this issue by establishing a closed-loop supply chain. The company recovers scrap materials from Panasonic’s battery cell production, as well as consumer electronics like cell phone batteries, laptops, and power tools sourced from other businesses. These discarded items are then processed to reclaim valuable materials – including cobalt, nickel, and lithium – which are typically obtained through mining, and subsequently supplied back to Panasonic and other clients.

Looking ahead, Straubel envisions Redwood Materials playing a key role in the recycling of electric vehicle batteries. The CEO plans to establish facilities in key locations globally to meet the growing demand for this service. At present, the majority of materials recycled and processed at Redwood’s two facilities in Carson City are utilized by Panasonic and other companies in the consumer electronics sector.