What must a company do with old lithium batteries?

Keep the old batteries apart and note what they are and in what state. Then hand them to the brand's take-back scheme or to a specialised lithium recycler. YouPower Recycling, our Battery Disassembly Center, takes in lithium batteries, screens them and dismantles them safely. If you want to see how the process runs, our page on lithium battery recycling walks through intake, screening and disassembly. The rest of this article explains the rules, the storage and the choice between second life and recycling.

You know the situation. A pallet of forklift batteries has been standing in a corner of the warehouse since the fleet went electric. The UPS in the server room gave an alarm, and someone noticed that smell of a cooked battery. Or a customer asks you to remove an old storage battery, and nobody knows where it may go.

What most companies do not see is where the cost sits. The risk is not the old battery on the invoice. It is the damaged battery that stays in the building for months, and the paperwork you cannot show when something goes wrong. Putting it in the metal skip, or giving it to a courier who does not know the rules, moves the risk to someone else. The responsibility stays with you.

Which rules apply when a company disposes of old lithium batteries?

The EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542) sets the frame, and the three regions apply it. Since 18 August 2025 its chapter on waste batteries applies. From then on, producers of industrial batteries must collect them free of charge from the holders and end users, according to SPW Environnement.

An industrial battery is, simply put, any battery above 5 kg that is not a car, e-bike or starter battery. Forklift batteries, UPS strings and stationary storage batteries fall in that group. Batteries from electric cars have their own category.

• Flanders (OVAM): hand in larger batteries at a registered collector, a permitted processor or a take-back point of the producer. Storage batteries and other batteries above 25 kg are not accepted at the recycling park.
• Wallonia (SPW Environnement): Bebat manages producer responsibility for every category of battery, Febelauto for batteries from electric vehicles. Holders return waste industrial, EV and storage batteries through these schemes.
• Brussels: Bruxelles Environnement is the regional authority for battery waste, as the FPS Public Health lists it.

Two more dates matter for a business. From 2027 certain batteries need a digital battery passport with a QR code, according to the FPS Public Health. The European Parliament lists the scope: industrial batteries above 2 kWh, batteries for light transport and EV batteries. So a storage system you buy today will leave with more data than the one you scrap today.

Where do old forklift, UPS and storage batteries go?

The route depends on the type of battery and on whether it came with an environmental contribution. OVAM lists the routes for each type. The table sums them up.

Source: OVAM, collection of waste batteries. In Wallonia the same batteries go back through Bebat or Febelauto.

What if the brand no longer exists, the forklift came second-hand, or nobody can find out who sold the storage system? Then a specialised lithium recycler is the practical way out. It can take the battery in, assess it and deal with the paperwork on its side.

Replacing lead-acid forklift batteries with lithium? Our article on charging forklifts from your own solar power explains what changes on the site. For UPS strings, our guide to emergency power for businesses compares UPS, generator and battery.

Is an old lithium battery really at end of life, or can it get a second life?

Not always at end of life. A battery that no longer does its first job can still be healthy enough for a lighter one. Screening decides which way it goes.

That is how our Battery Disassembly Center works. We determine the type and the features of the battery, assess its condition and check how far the cells are damaged. A battery that is found suitable after screening can be reused in second life applications. If not, it is treated as end of life after the measurements. Thinking of using a second-life battery yourself? Read whether a second-life battery can safely power your business.

Before a battery system even gets that far, ask whether it can be repaired. Our team of three certified battery experts revises installed batteries and takes on maintenance and repair of existing battery systems. A faulty module or a failing battery management system does not always mean the whole battery is finished.

How do you store damaged or swollen lithium batteries safely at your company?

Keep them apart, dry, cool and away from anything that burns. OVAM lists the precautions for storing lithium batteries: protection against heat, water and physical damage such as breaking or piercing.

• Upright, as installed: store the battery in its normal installation position, never upside down.
• Ventilated and marked: use a well-ventilated storage area and mark it with a warning sign.
• Nothing conductive or flammable nearby: keep batteries away from conductive or flammable materials. Store them on an impermeable floor or in a suitable container.
• Agree the measures: OVAM asks operators to set their precautions in consultation with the fire service or an independent expert.

Transport has its own rules. Under the ADR (the European rules for carrying dangerous goods by road), damaged or defective lithium batteries fall under special provision 376, with stricter packaging. Batteries that are sent for disposal or recycling and are not damaged can go under special provision 377. So an ordinary parcel service is not an option for a damaged storage battery.

For the safety of batteries that are still in use, see our article on fire safety, permits and insurance for a business battery.

What happens to a lithium battery at the recycling plant?

It is taken in, assessed, taken apart and shredded, and the raw materials are separated. At our Battery Disassembly Center the route looks like this.

The black mass is the dark powder that is left after shredding. It holds the valuable metals from the battery, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, which can go into new batteries. Safety comes first in a plant like this. The regional news site Made in wrote about our plant in Hamme in December 2024. It uses sprinklers, thermal cameras and sensors, and nitrogen in the shredder to prevent fire.

The EU sets minimum levels for what recyclers must recover from waste batteries. For lithium the bar rises from 50% in 2027 to 80% in 2031.

Is your old battery part of a system that you want to replace? Our article on battery storage for businesses explains what a new system involves, and our business battery systems page shows what we build.

What should you prepare before a lithium battery is collected?

The more the collector knows in advance, the faster and safer the pickup. Gather these five things before you call.

What happens when you call YouPower Recycling?

We start with the battery, not with a price list.

1. Step 1: You tell us what you have. Type, number, weight and state of the batteries, and where they are.
2. Step 2: Intake. The batteries arrive at the Battery Disassembly Center in Hamme, where we determine type and condition and check the cells.
3. Step 3: Screening. Suitable batteries can go to second life applications; the others are marked as end of life.
4. Step 4: Safe disassembly and shredding into copper, aluminium, heavy carbon and black mass.