Re-Cycle bikes to Africa

Totter | Recycle Outdoor Gear | 12th January, 2012

The great thing about being responsible for ROG is that you get to hear about some great services and initiatives going on to reuse and recycle outdoor gear. I recently came across a charity located in Colchester, Essex. Re~Cycle recycles unwanted bikes and sends the usable bikes for reuse in Africa. It’s a great service. They are always on the look out for unwanted bikes, volunteers, donations, and gifts-in-kind, like storage, haulage and shipping. Please read on…

“Take an unwanted bike from the UK, ship it to a country where it is really needed and teach the local people the skills to fix and maintain it” Merlin Matthews, Founder ~ Re~Cycle ~ Bicycle Aid for Africa

Why Re-Cycle  a bicycle?

Millions of unwanted bicycles are rusting in garages or being thrown away in the UK while in Africa, a four-hour daily walk is common – mothers collecting clean water, parents trekking to the farm, factory or market, or children facing a 20 mile walk to school and back. Motorised transport, where available, typically costs a quarter of people’s tiny income.

Re-Cycle collects second-hand bikes, parts and tools in the UK and ships them to places like Ghana, Liberia, Namibia, and South Africa. There our partners teach local people how to repair and maintain the bikes, helping them to improve their lives in a sustainable way.

Re-Cycle’s achievements

Since Re-Cycle started in 1998 it has:

• sent over 30,000 bikes, plus tools and spare parts to 13 countries in Africa

• been awarded a two-year National Lottery grant and a multi-year Landfill Tax grant

• won the first ever Upstart Award, run by The New Statesman and Centrica

Expanding Re-Cycle

Re~Cycle currently operates with a single ‘collection hub’ in Colchester, Essex; over the next three years we aim to have five bicycle collection hubs across the UK.

To do this Re-Cycle needs your help – volunteers, donations, and gifts-in-kind, like storage, haulage and shipping.

And we need people to donate more bikes to supplement the ones we get from Royal Mail, the police, and cycle shops and manufacturers donating outdated and traded-in stock.

Who benefits in the UK?

Re-Cycle helps reduce waste and landfill

Volunteers donate their time and energy and in return learn bicycle maintenance skills and meet new people

Re-Cycle gives work experience and new skills to

• Duke of Edinburgh volunteers

• Young offenders, the probation and prison service

• People with disabilities and brain injury rehabilitation groups

For more information: http://re-cycle.org

Or e-mail: info@re-cycle.org