Yorwaste has joined forces with local cycling charities to help people across York and North Yorkshire donate their unwanted bikes to be reconditioned and put back to good use, whilst enabling the public to keep their cycles in good working order with a series of pop-up events throughout the summer.
Old or outgrown bicycles, whatever their condition, can now be donated at any of North Yorkshire’s 22 household recycling sites across the region, enabling them to be brought back to life by experts from York based charities, The Recycle Project and Get Cycling, and Harrogate’s Resurrection Bikes.
The bikes will then be donated to good causes or sold for proceeds that will be ploughed back into community initiatives, creating opportunities for more people to get onto the saddle.
John Rowe, founder of Resurrection Bikes, which is committed to fixing-up unwanted cycles to donate or raise money, welcomes the initiative:
Many people aren’t aware that organisations like ours exist. This campaign is perfect for raising awareness of the fact that most bicycles are salvageable, or at the very least can be used for parts, whilst making it easier for people to donate wherever they’re based in York or North Yorkshire.
Joanne Mahon, CEO of social enterprise, Get Cycling CIC said:
We service and customise pre-loved bikes for customers with a wide range of abilities, so it’s crucial for us to have a steady supply of cycles and materials, as well as funds to invest back into our community-based work. We’re delighted to be working with Yorwaste to ensure as many of the region’s bikes are repurposed for great causes.
The public can take their old, unwanted, broken and outgrown cycles or bike parts to any Yorwaste’s household waste recycling sites where there’s a designated area to leave their donations. The bikes will then be transported by Yorwaste to the respective charities, who will repair or make use of each donation to enable more people to benefit from the physical, financial and environmental advantages of owning a bike.
Brad Mulhearn, who runs The Recycle Project CIC, said:
This collaboration with Yorwaste will support us in our mission to recover as much waste from landfill as possible, whilst creating opportunities for communities. Not only are we changing mindsets, encouraging more people to think twice about scrapping old bikes and buying second hand, we’re funding free community workshops, inputting into the circular economy and creating a safe and inclusive place for people to learn skills and meet new friends.
In support of the initiative, Yorwaste is set to host a season of fun ‘Le Tour de Yorwaste’ events across the region, where local communities can attend the company’s whistle stop tour to enjoy bike repair workshops, demonstrations, competitions, and even jump on its smoothie bike to make delicious smoothies through peddle power. The events will take place throughout the summer at the following locations, where the Yorwaste team will continue to observe social distancing and wear masks to ensure all attendees feel safe:
- 9th August – Selby Market
- 18th August – Knaresborough Market
- 20th August – York, St. Helen’s Square
- 27th August – Skipton Market
James Todd, Marketing Executive at Yorwaste, said:
By running campaigns like Get reCycling we get to remind the public of benefits of reuse and recycling whilst being able to help out some great local causes.
Yorwaste operates the 22 household waste recycling sites on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council. The site locations can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/hwrc or www.york.gov.uk/WasteAndRecycling, where the staff will be on-hand to direct the public to the Get re-Cycling collection points.
