West Midlands rare-earth magnet recycling facility

A new facility in the West Midlands will separate and recycle rare-earth magnets, aiming to reduce the UK’s dependence on imported critical minerals. The site is intended to recover magnetic material from end-of-life equipment and manufacturing scrap, creating a domestic feedstock for magnet manufacture and related supply chains. For semi-technical readers, recycling rare-earth magnets typically involves demagnetisation and mechanical separation followed by chemical or hydrometallurgical processing to extract elements for reuse, which can cut material losses compared with primary mining. Establishing local recycling capacity can strengthen industrial resilience, lower the carbon and environmental footprint tied to overseas extraction, and support green technologies that rely on high-performance magnets, such as electric motors and wind turbines. Further details on throughput, recovery rates and operators were not provided, but the move signals growing investment in circular routes for critical mineral supply in the UK.