Sustainability •

Lime partners with First Mile to recycle irreparable shared e‑bikes

Lime partners with First Mile to recycle irreparable shared e-bikes

We're delighted to have teamed up with leading recycling company First Mile to create a zero-to-landfill recycling solution for our shared e-bikes when they reach the end of their usable life.

We design our e-bikes to be robust and easy to reuse and repair again and again. However, we recognise the importance of an environmentally responsible and low-impact end-of-life solution for e-bikes which are no longer fit for use.

That’s why we designed our e-bikes with circularity in mind. Each part is reparable and easily replaceable, with all our e-bikes made with materials that can be easily separated and recycled into new valuable materials at end-of-life.

Our partnership with First Mile drives this work forward. At the point when an e-bike, or e-bike components, become irreparable, they are collected by First Mile, and begin their recycling transformation:

  1. The tyres areshredded, and the rubber recycled into horse arena and playground surfacing.

  2. The bike frames are shredded, and the steel is separated and recycled back into brand new production steel.

  3. Non-ferrous metals are sent to refineries where they are used to make new items, including aluminium bikes and drinks cans.

We also invest in recycling batteries from our bikes via our second life partner Gomi and through engaging expert battery recycling services in local markets.

First Mile founder and CEO, Bruce Bratley, comments: “Despite an increasing awareness of the environmental impact of goods, so many of today’s products are still designed and manufactured without considering their end-of-life. Lime has designed its bikes with circularity in mind – easy to repair and using materials that can be effectively recycled into new valuable materials at end-of-life. Lime’s approach to sustainability is a great fit with First Mile, and we’re really pleased to be able to provide an effective recycling solution for its products.”

Florence Milner, General Manager of UK and Ireland for Lime said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Lime. We’ve invested in extending the life cycle of our bikes through our repair and reuse programme to increase the number of zero carbon door-to-door journeys they can deliver, helping to reduce reliance on private vehicles and improve air quality for all. We’re proud to announce this partnership with First Mile, which will allow our bikes to be recycled once they’ve reached the end of their usable life, contributing to the circular economy and avoiding unnecessary landfill waste.”

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