GMWDA Blows the Whistle on Cycling Waste

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) has launched an innovative scheme which will allow residents to recycle their bikes instead of throwing them away, and at the same time, improve health and lead to a cleaner and greener environment. The launch co-incides with National Bike Week 2010, and will be promoted at cycling events throughout the summer, but is designed to be sustainable in the longer term. 

The Recycle Your Bike campaign is raising awareness of bike reuse and recycling. Every year residents in Greater Manchester throw away thousands of bikes as scrap metal. Many of them, with a little TLC, could have been reconditioned and reused to provide someone with regular exercise, access to affordable and sustainable transport or just fun with the family.

GMWDA is encouraging residents to donate their old bikes rather than taking them to Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC). Donations go to local bike projects, which repair the bikes and make them ready for reuse. The bike projects will give bikes away or sell them at an affordable price. Bikes that cannot be repaired will be stripped of their useable parts and the rest has a scrap metal value.

There are significant CO2 benefits of using your bike rather than the car, and cycling is a practical alternative for all those short car journeys made. Although reducing waste is the GMWDA’s main focus, increasing the number of affordable bikes will have obvious health advantages, making it a great way to keep fit all year round.

To launch the campaign Councillor Swannick, Chair of GMWDA donated an unwanted bike to Gremlins Cycling workshop, a lottery funded project in Oldham, who recycle bicycles as a training exercise for their volunteers. All bikes are passed on free or at a reduced price to members of the community.

Councillor Neil Swannick, Chair of GMWDA commented: “This project is a fantastic idea for reducing waste and CO2 emissions, and cycling is good for your health. We hope the social and environmental benefits of the scheme will encourage residents to donate unwanted bikes to the reuse and recycling projects across Greater Manchester and increase the amount of affordable bikes for local people.” He added “I suspect most parents see their children grow out of perfectly good bikes and have always wondered what to do with them. This scheme is a great chance to prolong the life of a bike and help us all feel better about doing our bit. There are clear advantages of providing more bikes for young people; considering the current increase in childhood obesity. This is an excellent example of a waste initiative having multiple benefits for the community. ”

Graeme Marquez a Gremlins project worker said: “We give bikes away to kids who cannot afford them; it keeps them busy and is a fun way for them to get more exercise. We would appreciate anyone in Oldham who has a bike they do not want, to get in touch with Gremlins on 0161 2843733. ”

The campaign is supported by the 9 districts of Greater Manchester and GMWDA will be handing out information and bike related giveaways at many of the districts’ bike week cycling events. The first event proved very popular at Trafford’s Sale festival on the 20th June with a lot of residents taking the details of their nearest project. There will be two events on Saturday the 26th June, where GMWDA will be holding the region’s first ever bike donation event, where local residents can bring unwanted usable bikes to designated drop off points, at Salford’s Big Green Festival in Swinton and at the New Mountain Bike Trial in Prestwich, Bury.

All donated bikes will be given to local bike reuse and recycling projects. For more information on the events and to find out where your nearest bike reuse and recycling project is based, please visit
www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com/community/bike-reuse-and-recycling-project

Foreground - Councillor Neil Swannick, Chair of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority donating a bike to Graeme Marquez, a project worker at Gremlins Cycling workshop.
Background - Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority Members

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

GMWDA is the largest of six English waste disposal authorities that were created under the local Government Act 1985. GMWDA provides waste disposal services for 973,000 households in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. It handles around 5% of National Municipal waste. 

GMWDA’s campaign will continue after bike week with the aim of working with more community and youth groups and councils to promote bike reuse through, for example schools cycle training, cycling clubs and local cycling events. As long as our residents get behind the scheme more events will be set up and the different bike projects will feature on www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com, keeping residents updated on what happens to bikes they donate. 

Team Green Britain Bike Week 21ST – 27TH June, is an annual opportunity to promote cycling and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life. Demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling, the week aims to get people to give cycling a go all over the UK. This year we aim to make ‘everyday cycling for everyone'.