Lithium supply gains from waste recycling and reassessed reserves

Extracting lithium from historic mine waste and tailings is emerging as a new source for the global battery industry. Companies such as Sasquatch Resources are piloting projects like Mount Sicker in British Columbia, Canada, to recover copper, zinc, silver, gold and lithium from waste piles dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The approach can cut permitting time, lower development costs and turn environmental liabilities into productive assets, supporting a circular‑economy model for critical minerals.

Analysts also argue that lithium is not close to depletion. The U.S. Geological Survey lists about 26 million tonnes of known reserves, which at current demand would last 25‑30 years, but new resource estimates—such as the 20‑40 million‑tonne potential at the McDermitt caldera on the Nevada‑Oregon border—could dramatically expand the resource base. Ongoing improvements in extraction technology, recycling and the development of sodium‑ion batteries further reduce pressure on lithium supply, echoing past patterns observed with oil production.

Together, waste‑recycling projects and expanding resource assessments aim to diversify supply, lower environmental impact and reinforce the security of lithium for electric‑vehicle batteries, grid storage and other clean‑energy applications.