UPDATE (Apr. 6): In compliance with circuit breaker measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, the collection of non-UL2272 PMDs at all LTA-designated disposal points will cease temporarily from Apr. 7 to May 4, 2020. Please check this website before heading down to any disposal point.

From Jul. 1, 2020, non-UL2272-certified personal mobility devices (PMDs) can no longer be ridden in public — not even on designated cycling paths.

As you should probably know by now, it’s a measure taken by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to curb the number of fires involving uncertified PMDs.

A UL2272 certification means that the PMD has been put through a series of comprehensive and stringent tests to ensure that they can withstand various stresses. This safety standard was set by LTA to help reduce the risk of PMD-related fires.

But this doesn’t mean that all non-UL2272 PMDs still operating in Singapore will automatically become trash.

In fact, e-waste recyclers are helping to dispose of these potential fire hazards and give their components a new lease of life.

LTA is facilitating disposals through its roving disposal points, making it very convenient for PMD users to dispose of their device.

They literally just have to bring their PMDs to the disposal point and LTA will take care of the rest.

The scheme also means that owners of non-UL2272-certified PMDs can still dispose of their devices at no cost until Jul. 1, 2020.

After that, they'll have to make their own transport arrangements to bring their PMDs to e-waste recyclers located in far-flung areas of Singapore such as Tuas and Penjuru.

Sending non-UL2272-certified PMDs to e-waste recyclers also avoids the situation of owners disposing via other means — such as HDB rubbish chutes. This should not be done as the PMDs could pose a fire risk in those areas.

102 PMD-related fires for 2019

If you’re thinking of keeping your non-certified PMD to use it in non-public spaces, you should know that they pose a risk to you and your family because they are not assessed to ensure that they can withstand stresses like overheating.

And we have seen many, many, many instances of overheated PMDs. Here are just a few examples:

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), there were 102 PMD-related fires for the whole of 2019. That’s an average of eight and a half PMD-related fires per month.

In addition, there were 46 injuries arising from PMD fires, including one death.

Here’s how a PMD fire can start when you leave your device to charge overnight unattended:

How to dispose of your non-UL227-certified PMD

If you have already registered your non-UL2272 PMD with LTA, you will need to log onto the One Motoring website with your SingPass or CorpPass before bringing your PMD to one of the LTA’s roving disposal points or LTA’s Sin Ming office.

Users with unregistered PMDs can just show up at the points with their PMD.

The roving disposal points follow a fixed schedule so you will need to check this list to find one nearest to you.

For example, this weekend (Apr. 4 and 5) they will be at Blk 409 Pandan Gardens and the car park near Blk 324 Hougang Ave 5 respectively, from 5pm to 9pm.

More information on the disposal of your non-UL2272 PMD can be found here.

Writing this MOT-sponsored article reminded the writer to encourage his father to dispose of his PMD the easy way.

Top image from the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Facebook page