450 applications to dispose of e-scooters early
Owners who dispose of non-UL2272 certified registered devices by Nov 30 can get $100
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A PMD being loaded onto a lorry at a disposal point near Block 209 Boon Lay Place yesterday. Over six months, till March 31 next year, PMD owners will be able to dispose of their devices at 180 disposal points set up by LTA-appointed e-waste recyclers across HDB estates, or at the LTA's Sin Ming office.
ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID
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Toh Ting Wei
About 450 applications to dispose of registered e-scooters that do not meet a fire safety standard, in exchange for $100, were submitted on the first day of an early disposal scheme, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday.
Owners who qualify for the incentive have to first submit an application to dispose of their devices online, before turning them in at the disposal points.
They could do so at two places yesterday - the LTA's office in Sin Ming Drive and at a loading bay in a Boon Lay HDB estate.
The LTA introduced the scheme amid growing concern over fires linked to devices without UL2272 certification.
It is a set of safety requirements covering the electrical drive train system of personal mobility devices (PMDs), including the battery system.
As of last month, there were about 90,000 registered e-scooters here, of which 90 per cent do not possess the certification.
Over six months, till March 31 next year, PMD owners will be able to dispose of their non-UL2272 certified devices at 180 disposal points set up by LTA-appointed e-waste recyclers across HDB estates, or at the LTA's Sin Ming office.
The e-waste recyclers are trained and equipped to ensure the safe disposal of PMDs, as well as the recycling of any reusable materials and components.
Owners who dispose of their non-certified registered e-scooters by Nov 30 will qualify for the $100 early disposal incentive. Those who have unregistered e-scooters or own other PMDs, such as hoverboards and unicycles, can still dispose of their devices for free, but will not qualify for the incentive.
When The Straits Times visited the disposal point at a loading bay near Block 209 Boon Lay Place yesterday evening, about 20 PMD owners dropped off their devices at the location in 21/2 hours.
Owners had to verify that they had submitted the application to dispose of the PMDs and that the devices belonged to them. The devices were checked for the necessary registration labels to ensure they qualified for the incentive.
The entire process took about two minutes, and most owners were able to submit their items for disposal without hiccups.
Systems engineer Nick Ong, 28, said the $100 incentive was a fair return for his e-scooter, which he had bought for $700 two years ago.
"I don't use it that often nowadays. At least I got back some money for it, or else I would have just left the e-scooter at home," he said.
Another e-scooter owner, who wanted to be known only as Mr Pan, took along three devices for disposal. The 42-year-old, who works in the IT industry, said his family bought the devices a year ago and had been using them for short-distance commutes.
But he realised the fire risk non-certified devices posed after a PMD in his neighbour's unit in Choa Chu Kang caught fire and ravaged the house.
"I saw the fire, the fire engines... the experience was horrifying," he said. "Without the incentive, I would have found someone to dispose of them anyway, so it's a bonus."
Retiree Tan Chai Keong, 47, said the process could be made smoother if the LTA allowed for PMD users to file hard-copy applications for disposal.
He had to wait about 45 minutes before he could submit his application to dispose of his registered device. The delay was due to a SingPass log-in issue at around 5.30pm, which meant he could not log in to the app.
The first half of this year saw 49 fires related to PMDs, an average of about two a week.
In the worst of these cases, a 40-year-old man died in hospital after being rescued from his burning flat in Bukit Batok. The blaze was linked to three e-scooters found burnt in the unit.
In contrast, there were 52 PMD-related fires in the whole of last year.
