‘Toyota Circular Factory’ to help recycle 10,000 vehicles a year in the UK

Toyota Motor Europe has announced that it’s starting up a recycling programme that it calls ‘Toyota Circular Factory’ (TCF) that will give new life to 10,000 cars a year in the UK.

The TCF will start in the third quarter of this year at Toyota’s factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire, where the Corolla hatchback and Touring Sport estate variants are produced.

The initiative is to recycle 10,000 cars annually in the UK, allowing 120,000 new parts to be manufactured.

Toyota says that it intends to recycle raw materials such as copper, aluminium, steel and plastic. The aim is to reduce emissions through the firm’s vehicle and sub-component manufacturing processes.

Leon van der Merwe, Toyota Motor Europe’s vice president of circular economy, said: “We initially anticipate recycling around 10,000 vehicles a year in our UK facility, which will give new life to 120,000 parts, recover 300 tonnes of high-purity plastic and 8,200 tonnes of steel, among other materials.

“As a next step we plan to roll out similar operations across Europe. And we’re not stopping at our own facilities – we are eager to collaborate with other organisations who share our passion for circularity and commitment to carbon neutrality.”

Toyota Motor Europe is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2040 and wants to achieve carbon neutrality across its own facilities by 2030.