Green Links Lanka appointed authorised supplier of used hybrid/EV vehicle batteries to Belgium’s Umi

Green Links Lanka, Sri Lanka’s foremost and leading electronic waste management company was appointed by Umicore Battery Recycling Company, Hoboken, Belgium as the authorised supplier in Sri Lanka of used hybrid/EV vehicle batteries to Umicore.

The MOU was signed between Green Links Lanka Managing Director NalinGunaratne and Umicore Global Commercial and Sourcing ManagerGhislain Van Damme.

As per this MOU, Green Links Lanka is responsible for collecting and storing end-of-life nickel metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries fromhybrid and electric vehicles imported to Sri Lanka, and will export them to Umicore for eco-friendly recycling.Accordingly, Green Links Lanka will supplyusednickel metal hydrate and lithium-ion battery packs of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles (xEV)sold within Sri Lanka by leading motor companies, for recycling purposes.

After eightlong years of research and development, Umicore setup a recycling facility in 2011 usingUHT (Ultra High Temperature) technology, which allows a close to zero-waste recycling of usedxEV batteriesand a sustainable closed-loop approach for the recovered metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper, rare earths and lithium. With this technology, Umicore became the winner of the European Business Award in 2012.

Umicore Group is a gigantic materials technology and recycling company in the world,having 14000 workers, operating in 56 industrial sites and having 20 research and development ortechnical centres worldwide. 

Green Links Lanka is authorised by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) to manage electronic waste in Sri Lanka. Used computers, laptops, TVs, LED monitors, printing machines, scanners, photocopiers, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, telephones, mobile phones, digital cameras, and alkaline batteries are exported to several countries under Basel license.

Green Links Lanka to date has exported over 6000 tons of electronic waste to countries such as Japan, UK, South Korea, Malaysia and Germany under special agreements to bring Sri Lanka great amounts of foreign exchange.Leading companies operating in the country including Singer Sri Lanka, John Keells, Metropolitan, Banks, BOI companies and over400 companies supply electronic waste to Green Links Lanka.

Commissioned in 2005, Green Links Lanka has been recognised with awards as the foremost electronic waste management company in the country. The ‘e-Waste Management Workshop’held in 2016 in Beijing, China, organised by the United Nations Development Program featured electronic waste management experts from 14 countries and it is significant that Green Links Managing Director NalinGunaratne was amongst them.

Gunaratne said:“We commissioned Green Links Company by collecting old silencers in my car’s boot. We are more than happy that currently some of the world’s leading e-waste management companies have recognised our company as a trustworthy supplier and have tied up with us.”  

He added: “In recent times, in the Colombo vicinity a huge dumping yard erupted causing great unpleasantness. A future threat to our country is, accumulation of electronic waste. Thus I humbly request people to give us all their e-waste and become environment friendly citizens. We have made things easy for them by allocating a mobile vehicle, so they can call the hotline 011 566 0 300 or personally bring their e-waste to No. 848/3A, Mabola, Wattala where our main warehouse is situated.”

He further said, “We look forward to facilitate people living outstation too, if they could call us. However I must stress, when e-waste is provided to us, not to remove their inner parts as we could export e-waste if they have parts that could only be recycled.”