Battery recycler cuts 60 jobs, 10 in Rochester

Li-Cycle, the Canadian-based battery recycler, announced this week that they were eliminating 60 positions, including 10 in the Rochester area.

The job cuts represent approximately 17% of the company’s global workforce.

“We are recalibrating our organizational structure to better align with LiCycle’s more focused priorities,” Li-Cycle co-founder and CEO Ajay Kochhar said. “We believe that a centralized model and the consolidation of our operational and commercial teams will increase efficiencies and facilitate crossfunctional partnerships to enhance our planning process and ability to execute on our short- and long-term objectives.”

Two weeks ago, Li-Cycle announced it had secured a $75 million investment from Glencore, a producer, recycler, and nickel and cobalt marketer of lithiumion batteries.

The news comes amid an ongoing comprehensive review and Cash Preservation Plan implemented by the company to preserve its expansion plans, including constructing a Rochester Hub.

The hub was paused due to projected cost escalation.

Kochhar said the Rochester Hub project remains a top priority for the company and is expected to play a vital role in “helping build a sustainable, domestic, and circular battery materials supply chain to support the clean energy transition.”

Robert Bell is a multimedia journalist and reporter at The Democrat & Chronicle. He was born in Rochester, grew up in Philadelphia and studied film in Los Angeles. Follow him at @byrobbell on X and @byrobbell on IG. Contact him at rlbell@gannett.com .