In a warehouse in Casablanca, a food-processing plant in Berrechid or a logistics platform at Tanger Med, the forklift is the machine that never stops: it loads trucks, stores pallets high up and feeds production lines. But like every machine, it has a lifespan. An electric forklift is replaced after about 12,000 to 14,000 hours of use, that is 5 to 7 years; for diesel or LPG models, wear on the engine, transmission and mast decides, along with repeated breakdowns and the rising cost of spare parts. At that point the question arises: what should be done with a forklift at the end of its life?
The answer starts with an observation: a forklift out of service is not bulky waste, it is a stock of metals. Steel from the mast and chassis, cast iron from the counterweight, copper from the motor and wiring, lead or lithium batteries, hydraulic oils to drain: every component has its own route. This guide explains which material handling equipment to recover, what metals it contains, how to treat batteries and fluids, and how to organise on-site collection with MOUMETAL — without ever putting a battery in an ordinary bin.
Which material handling equipment should be recovered?
A Moroccan company's handling fleet is not limited to the counterbalance forklift. It includes diesel, electric and LPG forklifts, manual and electric pallet trucks, stackers, order pickers, aerial work platforms and tow tractors. All these machines share the same end of life: when repair costs more than replacement, or when the fleet is renewed to switch to electric, the old machines leave the fleet. And every machine that leaves the fleet is a load of scrap to recover, provided it is treated as such.
Recovery starts with an inventory. A complete forklift is worth more than its separate parts when it can still be resold second-hand; a damaged, incomplete or very worn forklift goes to dismantling. Pallet trucks, lighter, are treated in batches: steel chassis and forks, wheels, hydraulic cylinder, and a battery for electric models. Aerial work platforms add a steel arm and an aluminium basket. Our article on dismantling industrial machines details the method applied to all this equipment.
What metals does a forklift contain?
A forklift is first of all steel: the mast, which carries the forks and lifts loads high, the chassis, the forks themselves, the hydraulic cylinders and the wheels. The counterweight, at the rear, is cast iron: it balances the lifted load and gives the forklift its massive silhouette. These two metals — steel and cast iron — make up most of the machine's weight and go together to the scrap route, after dismantling and sorting.
Then come the non-ferrous metals: copper from the electric traction and lifting motor, cables and wiring harness, and sometimes aluminium from housings and radiators. Diesel and LPG forklifts add a combustion engine, with its cast-iron or aluminium block, injectors and steel exhaust circuit. Buying copper in Morocco therefore also concerns handling equipment, and our article on recovering used electric motors explains how these motors are dismantled and sorted.
Batteries: lead-acid and lithium, a route of their own
The battery is the most delicate component of an electric forklift — and the most regulated. Lead-acid batteries, the most common in Moroccan fleets, are recycled: the lead is recovered, the plastic casing is treated separately, and the acid is neutralised in dedicated facilities. They never go in an ordinary bin: lead is toxic, acid is corrosive, and Law 28-00 on waste management classifies these batteries as hazardous waste. Our article on recycling used batteries in Morocco details this route.
Lithium-ion batteries, which equip more and more new forklifts, follow a separate route. They are dismantled only by trained operators: a damaged or punctured lithium battery can catch fire, and it is never stored with other metals. The practical rule is simple: as soon as a forklift leaves the fleet, its battery is removed, identified — lead or lithium — and stored separately, on a dedicated area, while waiting for collection by a collector who knows its route. That is the first sorting step, and the most important.
Hydraulic oils and fluids: draining and depollution
Before any dismantling, a forklift must be drained. Hydraulic oil, which drives the mast and cylinders, engine oil and coolant from combustion models, fuel remaining in the tank: all these fluids are collected in sealed containers, never poured on the ground or into a drain. Draining on a concrete area, with retention bunds, prevents soil and water pollution — and it is an obligation, not an option.
Depollution is part of MOUMETAL's process: every machine is drained before being dismantled, fluids are collected separately and sent to their routes, and soiled parts are cleaned before sorting. For the legal framework of these obligations, read our article on the legal obligations on metal waste in Morocco. A drained and depolluted forklift is a clean, sorted and traceable load — and that is what recovers best.
Sell, reuse or recycle? Documents and traceability
Three possible fates for a forklift at the end of its life, in order: second-hand sale, reuse of parts, then recycling of metals. Resale requires a certificate of conformity: without this document, which certifies that the machine meets safety standards, a forklift cannot be resold as handling equipment. Machines in good condition, with their certificate and maintenance history, therefore go to the second-hand market; the others go to dismantling.
In both cases, the transfer is documented. The standard file includes proof of ownership of the machine, the certificate of conformity when one exists, the maintenance history and, for recycling, a tracking slip that traces the load from your site to its destination. This traceability protects the transferring company: it proves that its machines and batteries were treated according to the rules, and not abandoned. MOUMETAL hands over these documents at every collection, with the weighing of each load. Our article on the scrap purchase process, step by step details these steps.
On-site collection by MOUMETAL
MOUMETAL works in warehouses, plants and logistics platforms across Morocco to collect forklifts and material handling equipment out of service. First contact by phone or WhatsApp: you describe your fleet — number of forklifts, energy type, battery condition. A site visit then makes it possible to inventory the machines, check the documents and agree on the arrangements: draining and depollution, dismantling on site or full collection, sorting of metals and batteries.
On site, our teams remove the batteries, drain the fluids, dismantle the machines when access requires it, weigh each load and document the flows: metal type, weight, destination. Collection is by truck, without interrupting warehouse activity, at times agreed with the logistics manager. For an inventory or a collection in your warehouse, contact us: +212 660 690 806 — contact@moumetal.com. And to place this route in the wider picture of recycling, read our article on recovering warehouse racking.
FAQ — Scrap metal from forklifts and material handling equipment
What should be done with a forklift at the end of its life? Start by removing the battery and draining the fluids, then check whether it can be resold second-hand with its certificate of conformity. Otherwise, have it dismantled: steel, cast iron, copper and the battery each go to their own route. MOUMETAL organises the inventory, depollution, dismantling and on-site collection, with weighing and traceability.
What should be done with old forklift batteries? Never throw them in an ordinary bin: lead-acid batteries are recycled — lead, plastic casing and neutralised acid — and lithium batteries follow a separate route, handled by trained operators. Remove them from the forklift, identify them and store them separately, then hand them to a collector who knows their route.
Should a forklift be sold or recycled? Sell it second-hand when the machine is in good condition and holds its certificate of conformity; recycle it when it is too worn, damaged or incomplete. In both cases, document the transfer: proof of ownership, certificate of conformity and a tracking slip for recycling.
Which documents are needed to transfer a forklift? Proof of ownership of the machine, the certificate of conformity when one exists, the maintenance history, and for recycling a tracking slip that traces the load from your site to its destination. MOUMETAL hands over these documents at every collection.
How long does a forklift last? An electric forklift is replaced after about 12,000 to 14,000 hours of use, that is 5 to 7 years. For diesel or LPG models, wear on the engine, transmission and mast — and the rising cost of repairs — decides the replacement.
Have your out-of-service forklifts recovered by MOUMETAL
Diesel, electric or LPG forklifts, pallet trucks, stackers and aerial work platforms: MOUMETAL buys and collects material handling equipment out of service in Morocco, with depollution, sorting of metals and batteries, and full traceability. To go further, read our scrap metal purchase page and our article on factory clearance and recovery. Contact us: +212 660 690 806 — contact@moumetal.com.