Toyota's new vehicle recycling plant in Wałbrzych, Poland

Toyota is set to open a new end-of-life vehicle recycling plant in Wałbrzych, Poland. The facility will cover 25,000 square meters and is expected to process around 20,000 cars annually.

According to a press release, the plant will dismantle and inspect batteries, wheels, and other components for potential reuse, refurbishment, or recycling. It will also extract copper, steel, aluminum, and plastic from the vehicles to be fed back into Toyota's manufacturing cycle.

This new facility will expand the operations of Toyota's existing plant in Wałbrzych, which produces key components for both hybrid and conventional powertrains. In practice, this expansion builds on the company's 2025 opening of its first similar factory in Europe, located in Burnaston, UK.

The project aims to systematically recycle used vehicles and reduce the reliance on virgin resources in the production of new models. For the automotive industry, this move highlights Toyota's ongoing commitment to advancing circular economy strategies across Europe.