Proper disposal protocols for e-bike batteries are being followed at the Recycling Center (Credit: Courtesy image)
A federal warning about fire-prone e-bikes has exposed a local headache on the North Fork and Shelter Island: Getting rid of the batteries safely and legally isn’t so simple.
“We’ve taken in one e-bike battery so far at the Recycling Center,” said Shelter Island Highway Superintendent Ken Lewis Jr.
The standard operating procedure, he added, is “to take them individually and put into five-gallon buckets that then get taken with the other lithium ion batteries at the Hazardous Waste area. I do know that there is more discussion being had as to development of a specific receptacle for such batteries.”
In Southold, solid waste management coordinator Nick Krupski said the town can only accept small lithium ion batteries, roughly the size of a drill battery, at its transfer station, leaving larger e-bike batteries to outside contractors or hazardous waste handlers.
“Someone needs to address this,” Mr. Krupski said. “This isn’t a Southold problem — it’s a country-wide problem.”
His comments come on the heels of a warning by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) to stop using two Ridstar e-bike models, the Q20 and Q20 pro, due to fire risks tied to their batteries and wiring.
“There have been at least 11 reports of fire, including one burn injury; five reports of smoke inhalation; and two reports of property damage totaling more than $40,000 tied to the bikes,” the CSPC said on March 19.
The agency urged people to remove the battery from the Ridstar e-bike and dispose of it following local hazardous waste procedures. Hazardous batteries should not be sold or given away. The flagged Ridstar e-bikes were sold on Amazon, Ridstar’s website and Walmart.
The CSPC said the manufacturer, Huizhou Xingqishi Sporting Goods Co. of China, refused to agree to an acceptable recall. “It puts the consumer in a weird place,” Mr. Krupski said, referring to their limited options.
In Riverhead, residents can dispose of household electronics at its Stop Throwing Out Pollutants collection on May 30. However, large and small appliances are not accepted at that time — so a bike could be rejected. For more info, call 631-727-3200, ext. 391.
Arrow Scrap, with offices in Holbrook and West Babylon, is one Long Island company that accepts lithium ion batteries. For information on how to dispose of lithium ion batteries at their facilities, call 631-319-1910 for the Holbrook location or 631-491-2061 for the West Babylon location.
