E-scooter operators Beam and Neuron have been directed by Brisbane's lord mayor to fund a partnership with a waterway clean-up organisation, after roughly 150 rental scooters were found submerged in the Brisbane River over the past 12 months — a scale of dumping that had previously been downplayed by the industry.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner confirmed the arrangement, saying his office had contacted both operators and made clear they needed to do significantly more to address scooters being placed inappropriately in the city's waterways.

"We've contacted the operators and said, 'Look, you're going to have to do more to make sure where scooters are placed inappropriately, including in the Brisbane River, they are collected'," Schrinner said. Both operators indicated a willingness to work with clean-up group Ocean Crusaders and provide funding toward the effort.

Scale of the dumping problem laid bare

The true extent of the problem was exposed during unusually low tides in early August, when dozens of e-scooters were photographed sitting on the riverbed between the Story Bridge and the QUT Gardens Point ferry terminal. Ocean Crusaders, which operates across south-east Queensland, says it retrieved around 150 e-scooters from shallow banks near the Brisbane CBD in just one year.

The group is primarily funded through private donations and relies heavily on volunteers. Ocean Crusaders founder Ian Thomson said the lord mayor's announcement came as a surprise — he had not been contacted by either Beam or Neuron at the time of the announcement.

"The best solution is never putting scooters in there in the first place, but if they are going to jump in, having the providers be responsible for removing them and contracting services like ourselves or similar would be perfect," Thomson said.

Thomson estimated a dedicated weekly river clean-up operation — involving a team and boat — could cost around $120,000 per year. He also called for more physical barriers along the river, particularly beneath the Riverside Expressway, which he identified as the worst location for dumping. Lord Mayor Schrinner said the council would consider the idea but was not convinced barriers were the most effective solution, expressing concern about restricting public access to the riverfront.

Separately, police have launched an investigation after 16 e-scooters were found dumped in the Brisbane River near the Star Casino.

Environmental risks from submerged batteries

Experts have raised concerns about the ecological impact of lithium-ion batteries sitting on the riverbed. Modern e-scooter batteries contain lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese — chemicals that scientists say present potential risks to aquatic life and river plants.

Western Sydney University water scientist Ian Wright said the Brisbane River was already under significant pressure from urban run-off, sewerage overflows and agricultural runoff from farmland.

"If you're getting a whole lot of bikes and batteries ending up in the water, it's just a risk and an impact that the river doesn't need," Wright said.

What happens next for Brisbane's rental scooter fleet

Brisbane currently has 7,100 rental scooters and e-bikes approved to operate across the city at any given time. Lord Mayor Schrinner maintained that the rental scooter network remained a net positive for Brisbane residents, citing the city's hot and humid climate as a key factor in demand.

"Scooters help fill that gap for people who want to get around without getting too hot and sweaty," he said.

Schrinner said the council would continue applying pressure on operators to ensure swift retrieval of any devices that end up in the river, while ruling out blanket fencing of the riverbank as a solution. For Ocean Crusaders, the hoped-for outcome is a formal, funded contract that ensures the clean-up work can be sustained well into the future.

The situation mirrors broader debates about corporate accountability for the environmental footprint of emerging transport technologies — a conversation playing out in cities across Australia and beyond.