Trash
Your E-bike
Batteries
Recycling electric bicycle batteries — one bite at a time.
Meet Watts!
A hungry monster with an appetite for used e-bike batteries.
Meet Rey!
A recycling champion driven to give every battery a second ride.
Collecting for a Cause
This dynamic duo is teaming up to end e-bike battery waste.
Help Watts and Rey!
Find a participating retailer and recycle your old e-bike battery.
A Battery
Recycling Solution
E-bike battery recycling made simple.
The bike industry came together as the first transportation industry to establish a battery recycling program to reduce negative impacts on our planet by removing e-bike batteries from our waste streams. Thanks to this new program, powered by The Battery Network and endorsed by PeopleForBikes, tens of thousands of pounds of electric bicycle batteries have already been recycled.
Don't Trash Your E-Bike Battery
Keep it out of the dumpster, landfill, or tossed in the back of your garage.
Millions of electric bikes are being ridden on roads and trails across the U.S., helping Americans replace car trips, reduce their personal carbon footprint, and access the countless benefits and joys of the great outdoors. With those bikes, there are also millions of lithium ion batteries that will need to be properly managed at their end of life.
Recycling Batteries Made Easy
Recycling is as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Find your nearest battery drop-off location. 2. Bring in your battery for the team to pack up. 3. Your battery is shipped off to be recycled. Done!
FAQ for Riders
How does electric bicycle battery recycling work?
How does electric bicycle battery recycling work?
Why do electric bicycle batteries need to be recycled?
- More than 12 million electric bicycles (e-bikes) will be sold in the U.S. between 2020 and 2030. That means 12 million batteries powering those electric bicycles will need to be collected and recycled at their end of life.
- To ensure those batteries are safely and responsibly handled and kept out of landfills, more than 40 bike industry leaders from 20 PeopleForBikes member companies united under a sustainability task force and electric bicycle committee to design an industry-leading electric bicycle battery recycling program in collaboration with The Battery Network.
- The program continues to grow — we're constantly adding new supporting brands and recycling drop-off locations. Check back frequently to see the latest brands and drop-off locations near you.
When should I recycle my electric bicycle battery?
- Batteries older than two years and beginning to decrease in performance with signs such as long charging times, not fully charging, and losing charge quickly may be close to their end of life.
- A longer charge time isn’t necessarily an indicator of an end-of-life battery. Batteries can perform beyond initial expectations, with lifespans extending to 5–7 years.
- Needing to recharge your battery frequently indicates decay and should be replaced.
- A high-quality lithium ion electric bicycle battery lifetime depends on a number of factors including the type of battery and how well it is taken care of. When possible, store your battery and electric bicycle in an area that is protected from the elements.
How should I store and maintain my electric bicycle battery?
- Always make sure you are not charging your battery unattended or overnight.
- Follow your electric bicycle manufacturer's instructions provided in the owner's manual.
- If you have any questions about your electric bicycle battery best practices, contact your manufacturer's customer service team.
What should I do if I think my electric bicycle battery is damaged or defective?
If your battery is damaged or defective, and your bike is from a brand that is participating in the e-bike battery recycling program, visit this link to find your nearest retail drop off location.
What electric bicycle brands participate in the program?
The full list of electric bicycle and components brands that currently participate in the program here.
Why can't I recycle my electric bicycle battery?
- The electric bicycle battery recycling program only accepts batteries from brands actively supporting the program through a recycling fee.
- If your product is an out-of-class product marketed as an e-bike, The Battery Network is unable to accept your battery. We suggest contacting the manufacturer directly for assistance.
Are there any batteries the program won't accept?
The Battery Network currently accepts batteries only from brands participating in the electric bicycle battery recycling program. You can view the full list of participating brands here. If your battery comes from a non-participating brand, we recommend contacting the brand directly for their preferred recycling solution, and encouraging them to join the program.
What is an electric bicycle?
An "electric bicycle" is a bicycle that meets one of PeopleForBikes' three classes of e-bikes, recognized in 46 states (as of January 2026), equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.
What is the three class electric bicycle classification system?
- A "Class 1 electric bicycle" is equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.
- A "Class 2 electric bicycle" is equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.
- A "Class 3 electric bicycle" is equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour. It is also equipped with a speedometer.
What is not an electric bicycle?
- The safety of bicycling products and the consumers who use them is PeopleForBikes' highest priority. There are many instances in the media, marketing, and on our streets where a motorcycle, moped, scooter, or other electric vehicle is confused with a Class 1, 2, or 3 electric bicycle. Calling a vehicle that is not a Class 1, 2, or 3 electric bicycle an electric bicycle is confusing and misleading.
- If a product can go faster than 28 miles per hour, it is not an electric bicycle.
- A product must have functional pedals to be considered an electric bicycle.
What should I look for when purchasing an electric bicycle?
- It should fall within the three-class system. Learn more about the three-class system at https://www.peopleforbikes.org/topics/electric-bikes.
- A majority of manufacturers will list the class of their electric bicycle in the description of the product.
- Electric bicycles can be heavier and require more distance to stop than traditional bicycles. Take a few for a test ride to get a sense of how it feels to start, ride, and stop an electric bicycle.
- The key to safe biking is being comfortable and confident. As long as you can get on a bike, ride it, and feel good, it's probably the right bike for you.
Why did PeopleForBikes and The Battery Network team up to recycle electric bicycle batteries?
Anticipating a massive increase in electric bicycle use for transportation and recreation, PeopleForBikes and The Battery Network engaged in a breakthrough effort to take much needed action on sustainability. This program gives both customers and retailers a safe and reliable option to recycle electric bicycle batteries.
FAQ for Retailers
I'm a retailer and am interested in becoming a collection site. What should I do next?
Retailers can enroll as an electric bicycle battery recycling collection site with The Battery Network at any time. Email us at connect@batterynetwork.org.
What do I get as a retailer collection site?
- Safety training and materials to properly handle end-of-life and damaged-defective batteries.
- In-store safety materials.
- USDOT-compliant recycling kits (with prepaid shipping).
- Your location is added to the map of available collection points.
- Recycling stickers and hangtags to provide battery recycling information to your customers.
FAQ for Manufacturers + Suppliers
Why did PeopleForBikes launch this initiative with The Battery Network?
Electric bicycles are the fastest-growing category of bikes, and the batteries powering those e-bikes will need to be safely and responsibly collected and managed at their end of life. With no current, established way to get those batteries to a recycler, this program was developed to keep batteries out of landfills and works to ensure that batteries are safely handled and returned to the recycling stream. Pooling industry funds and working with collection sites allows the program to minimize those costs.
Why is PeopleForBikes endorsing The Battery Network for this program?
With more than 30 years of experience collecting and recycling more than 175 million pounds of batteries in the U.S., The Battery Network is a leading not-for-profit battery logistics and recycling program operating with a commitment to safety and environmental excellence. They successfully launched a similar program in Canada and PeopleForBikes’ industry task force working on this initiative saw The Battery Network as the best solution.
How can I join the industry program?
If you are an electric bicycle brand owner or importer of record, please contact The Battery Network's e-bike program team at connect@batterynetwork.org.