Bike Recycling
Have you got an old bike that’s taking up space in your garage, or one that’s been hanging from your ceiling with flat tires for two years? It’s sad, out of shape and it wants to be used. Why not give it a free trip to Guatemala or Africa? Why not recycle it so that someone who will actually use it can have a chance?
In Chicago this month, Bike (re)Cycle Chicago will be collecting used bikes on Saturday, May 5 and Saturday, May 12. Drop your bikes off from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the following Chase location.
*West Lakeview Chase located at 3335 N. Ashland
(at Ashland & Henderson, 1 Block South of Roscoe)
A little more info on the project from The City of Chicago:
Bike re(Cycle) Chicago is presented by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, Chase and NBC 5 as part of Bike Chicago 2007 and will benefit Working Bikes Cooperative of Chicago.
Working Bikes will restore all donated bikes to benefit their local and global community outreach programs. Working Bike’s volunteers work to provide bicycles to charity organizations withinChicagoland and to ship bicycles to the Gulf Coast, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador, Africa and many other places of need. For more information visit www.workingbike.org
Working Bikes Cooperative is a non-profit organization that recovers landfill-bound bicycles, repairs them to working condition, and sells them to Chicagoans at a low cost in order to fund shipments of bicycles and bike parts to developing countries. Their mission is to empower communities by engaging in activities that promote environmentalism, public heath, and human equality. By recycling bicycles locally and delivering them to communities in need at low cost, they are able to provide sustainable development within their partner communities.
I tried to Google around and find a good overall directory for recycling bikes across the country, but right now it looks like more of an acting locally endeavor. They seem to exist all over the place, so simplyGoogle “bike recycle” and the name of your area and you should have good luck finding somewhere to donate.
Bike recycling is tough - first you need some generous bike donors, then you need some skilled and generous refurbishers, then you need money to ship them to where they are needed. The folks trying to pass good bikes along to those in need are making some pretty heroic recycling efforts, so give them your help if you are able.
bike photo from chubbyscruisers.com. BTW, it looks like this hot aqua ladies cruiser is only $115.
Found out about the Chicago re(Cycle) event via Flavorpill. Thanks Flavorpill!
