Recycle Your Cycle
About the Programme
ReCycle Your Cycle is our award winning initiative to repair bikes that are no longer in use.
We are deeply committed to the circular economy, and ReCycle Your Cycle is our flagship circular economy work.
In 2019, ReCycle Your Cycle won a place on the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Academy, going on to win the top award for the Connacht region!
Our Bike Upcycling Process
When we receive a donation, our first step is to asses whether or not it is suitable for upcycling. Not all discarded bikes can be saved. Many of them are so rusted or bent that they are unsafe. Any bike parts that are salvageable are removed and either used in bikes or provided for free for people to fix their own bikes at our DIY workshops.
We also have our old bike tyres recycled by Crossmore Tyres. Any left over metal material is sent to be recycled via the scrap metal stream.
Bikes are upcycled by our mechanics, using as many of the original or second-hand parts as possible. All parts used, second-hand or new, are recorded during this process
Completed bikes are assessed by Noel, our centre manager, in a ‘Post Build Check’
They are then either transported to the shop for sale or donated to someone who needs a bike!
Why You Should Buy A Second-Hand Bike
Every product or service we purchase has carbon emission and resource implications. For your repaired, recycled bike, emissions would be saved by:
Not transporting metal somewhere to be recycled
Not smelting down metal to be recycled into something new
Not manufacturing a new bike
Not transporting that new bike to the place where it will be sold.
However, some emissions will also be created, both because repaired bikes generally require at least some new parts, cabling, consumables etc, and because our workshop uses power for lighting, heating and power tools.
We use this calculator from Farnham Repair Cafe to determine the net emissions and resources saved by buying one of our recycled bikes. Here's a link to the methodology they use.
You're also creating social good by buying one of our bikes:
Our trainees on work placement via the Tús and CE schemes gain valuable on the jo experience by fixing the bikes with oversight & teaching from our professional mechanics
Our Local Training Initiative trains long term unemployed people in cycle mechanics and many of these learners are offered work placements in our shops
Donate Your Bike
If you would like to donate your bike, firstly, thank you for considering us, we are always grateful to receive donations!
However we would ask if you could try to only donate bikes that look like they could be suitable for upcycling as we are a small team with limited space.
Hours
Monday–Friday
10am–3pm
Phone
091-725874