Tesla's Nevada Neighbor Will Soon Recycle Batteries

While Tesla opened up its huge battery factory under construction outside of Reno, Nev. for the first time this week, one of its neighbors is also moving closer to trying to make a dent in the battery world.

On Thursday, battery recycling startup Aqua Metals plans to hold the grand opening of its factory in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, the same 166-mile sweeping industrial park that holds Tesla’s Gigafactory, a Walmart distribution center and one of Switch’s data centers.

The two-year-old startup, based in Alameda, Calif., broke ground on the factory a little less than a year ago and now has major recycling equipment in place to start breaking down lead-acid batteries from cars, golf carts, and data centers before the end of the year.

The company says its process uses less energy, is less expensive, and is more environmentally-friendly than the standard way to recycle these types of batteries, which is smelting.

On Wednesday, the company showed off the new facility toFortune, walking us though how the plant would break down an old battery and through a chemical process produce recycled lead products.

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