OPINION
from collective producer funding. Each producer – the manufacturer or UK importer – has a direct legal obligation to collect waste e-bike batteries free of charge from end users.
This means every time a customer brings in a dead e-bike
battery, you’re providing a service that should be funded by the original supplier. Every pound you spend on battery disposal is a pound that should be in their budget, not yours. Unless you have an
producers must be registered with the Environment Agency, and there’s a public register you can check. Then make contact and be clear: this is their legal
“HERE’S WHAT EVERY BIKE SHOP OWNER NEEDS
agreement in place to accept batteries for a particular producer (for example, in your supplier contract, or through an industry-level scheme such as the one you have every right to refuse to take Instead, you can advise the customer that they should
take the battery away and request a collection directly from the producer, who will be legally obliged to You may have already accepted end-of-life batteries back from customers - perhaps because it’s a customer expectation, or because it could risk a sale or a customer relationship. So there may well be waste batteries from a variety of producers in your shop. For these, the solution is simple but
requires backbone: persistent, professional pestering of the suppliers until they fulfil their legal responsibilities. Start by identifying the producer – in most cases, this will be the bike brand or their UK distributor (rather than
46 | November 2025
TO UNDERSTAND: YOU HAVE NO LEGAL OBLIGATION TO TAKE BACK USED E-BIKE BATTERIES. UNLIKE PORTABLE BATTERIES (THINK BIKE LIGHTS, WHERE THERE ARE COLLECTION SCHEMES), INDUSTRIAL BATTERIES, LIKE E-BIKE BATTERIES, DON’T BENEFIT FROM COLLECTIVE PRODUCER FUNDING. EACH PRODUCER – THE MANUFACTURER OR UK IMPORTER – HAS A DIRECT LEGAL OBLIGATION TO COLLECT WASTE E-BIKE BATTERIES FREE OF CHARGE FROM END USERS.”
responsibility, not a favour you’re asking. Document your attempts and maintain follow-up until they act. If they refuse or ignore you, escalate to the Environment Agency, who can intervene on regulatory non- compliance. There may be batteries in your stockpile for which you cannot identify a producer – for example, untrustworthy batteries procured from online marketplaces. The best advice is not to let batteries from unknown brands into your shop at all
in future, and certainly don’t accept them for disposal. But if
they are already in your shop, you will
need to arrange their proper disposal yourself This issue affects every shop selling e-bikes. We need suppliers to understand that dumping waste e-bike battery collection responsibility on retailers
isn’t sustainable or fair. Some suppliers are already doing this right, with
agreements in place with retailers, arranging regular collections and taking responsibility seriously. They deserve credit. But others are clearly hoping the problem will go away or that retailers will quietly absorb the costs. Battery disposal isn’t the retailer’s financial burden –
clarity and accountability from your suppliers. If they’re not offering collection support, know that you can simply refuse to take back or dispose of their batteries.
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