How To Safely Recycle And Dispose Of Electric Scooters

There has been a substantial increase in people choosing an alternative way of transport with the use of electric scooters, many cities in the UK have implemented new schemes to reduce vehicle emissions from polluting the environment as well as reducing traffic build-up in congested areas such as London, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Surrey.

Why are Police seizing and disposing of electric scooters in the UK?

The metropolitan police have seized more than 500 electric scooters in one week due to being deemed unsafe and unlawful to use on the roads in the UK.

"Click here for BBC article on the seizure of electric scooters"

Chief Superintendant Simon Owens from the metropolitan police made a statement

"Whilst we have seized e-scooters which can operate up to 40 mph, there are some which can reach 70 mph. There is no test required to be able to ride one which means people often do not have an understanding of road awareness; they do not wear a helmet or have lights on them so riding one means they are putting themselves and others at risk."

"Click here for Metropolitan Police Statment".

Why are electric scooters Illegal and causing Fire hazards?

The media has reported electronic scooters are deemed unsafe for public use. Unregulated Electric scooters are being imported from Asia and other countries outside of the EU that are illegal to use on the roads of the UK. These countries offer little to no testing certification when manufacturing scooters, as they rather aim for faster processing time, and take shortcuts with Battery assembly that results in sacrificing customer's safety. Scooters are now being referred to as ticking time bombs in the electronic and government sector due to poor production ethics. Electric scooters contain lithium-ion batteries and are charged in our UK Households, It is important to know if your battery is CE and ROHS compliant as the ones that have been produced under poor trading standards can cause fire hazards, explosions, and even death.

"Click here for E-scooter battery compliant"

The fire department from the London Fire brigade released a report on 01/07/2021 warning members of the public to be aware of the increase in popularity of electric scooters and their involvement in residential fires within the London areas. The fire department advises the public to research current trading standard specifications before purchasing an electric scooter.

"Click here for current Trading stand regulations from the London Borough, Bromley Borough council"

Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First commented“As personal transport evolves, we are becoming increasingly dependent on electricity and consumers should be cautious of the risks involved. Items such as e-bikes and e-scooters are powered by lithium-ion batteries and will be required to charge for long periods of time. Substandard versions of these batteries can pose a serious risk to life if a fault occurs.

What we did to help

Team members of SMS Recycling dismantled the Electric scooters to their raw components removing the lithium-ion battery once entering the recycling facility to minus any potential hazards. The components were then separated into designated sections to then be fulfilled to the recycling process. The designated sections of the recycling process is to ensure safety measures are carried out and the correct recyclable material is divided effectively to prevent environmental pollution. The sections contained LED Lights, Aluminum, High-grade kickstands copper, Nickel, circuitry motherboards control modules, LCD and LED Screens.

E-Scooter Components Successfully recycled By Us

​MotherBoards
PCB Control Board
​Steel Frames
​Batteries
Tires
LCD Screen
LED Lights
Plastic Trim
​Motion Sensors
250w to 500w Motors
​Suspension
​Brake Lever and Cables
​Folding Pole and kickstands

Electric scooter Models Recycled E-Recycled

​Xiaomi
​Unagi Model One
Halfords Carrera Impel is-1
Inokim Oxo
​Dualtron X II
​Pure Air Pro
Beyond PEV EMove Cruiser
Apollo Phantom
Ninebot Kickscooter MAX G30E II
Zero 9 Electric Scooter

What we do

We collect and recycle all unwanted electronic equipment and aim to keep Britain and the world environmentally tidy, our company goes by a zero-landfill targeted policy to prevent third world countries from being affected by Electronic waste. We work alongside the environment agency to ensure our processes are up to date and managed efficiently to today's WEEE/ITAD and Decommissioning Recycling regulations.

Below is our Home convenience e-scooter disposal process is you want to send in your e scooter for secure and efficient recycling

How To Book A Collection?

You can book online via the BOOK NOW portal alternatively you can book a collection via

Email info@smsrecycling.co.uk or Telephone 01276 20916

SMS HOUSE UNIT 1A BRIDGE ROAD CAMBERLEY SURREY GU15 2QR