Guide
Old EV battery: exchange and recycling
A worn-out scooter battery still holds lead or lithium, acids and energy. It belongs with a recycler, not in the municipal bin or the scrap pile behind the house.
Quick answer
Never put an old EV battery in the bin. India’s Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 make battery makers responsible for recycling and ban sending waste batteries to landfill or incineration. As an owner, keep it separate and hand it to a dealer or authorised recycler.
What the law says
India’s Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 were notified by the environment ministry on 24 August 2022 and replaced the old 2001 rules, which covered only lead-acid batteries. The new rules name electric vehicle batteries specifically.
- Extended producer responsibility: every battery maker or importer must collect and recycle or refurbish waste batteries to set targets, and register with the Central Pollution Control Board.
- Collected waste batteries must go for recycling or refurbishing — not to landfill and not for burning.
- Makers may run take-back schemes such as deposit refund or buy-back, or authorise others to collect.
What it means for you as an owner
The rules ask consumers to keep waste batteries separate from household waste and hand them to a collector, refurbisher or recycler. In practice:
- Never throw a scooter battery in the bin, a drain, a canal or open ground.
- Do not break it open for the metal or sell it to someone who will.
- Hand it to a battery dealer or an authorised recycler.
- Until then, keep it dry, upright and away from heat, children and anything that burns. If it is swollen or leaking, follow our swollen battery guide.
Exchange when you buy a new battery
When you replace a battery with us, ask about exchanging the old one. Whether an exchange applies, and its value, depends on the battery type and condition — ask us on WhatsApp 99091 21112 and we will tell you before any work. We sell lead-acid, lithium-ion and LFP batteries for any brand.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I throw an old scooter battery in the dustbin?
No. Under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 waste batteries must be kept apart from household waste and handed to a collector or recycler.
Where can I dispose of an old EV battery in Surat?
Give it to a battery dealer or an authorised recycler. You can bring it to us at Simada Naka and ask what we can do with it.
Do I get money for my old battery?
It depends on the type, condition and the deal at the time. Ask us on WhatsApp 99091 21112 before you buy a replacement.
Are lithium EV batteries recyclable?
Yes. The 2022 rules cover EV batteries and require makers to get them recycled or refurbished, not landfilled or burnt.
Replacing an old battery?
Bring the scooter and the old battery to Simada Naka. We test for free and tell you the options, including exchange, before any work.