Revolve ReCYCLING is continuing to make huge impacts in the circular economy. Twelve months on and the business is closer to realising its ambition to be the primary platform for riders, bike retailers, Personal Transport Vehicles (PTV’s) fleet operators, councils and importers to give new life to old bikes in Australia. Renowned as one of Sydney’s fastest growing social enterprises, it is also the first in Australia set up to target bike waste, an increasingly problematic waste stream.
A mountain of bicycles waiting to be recycled. (Photo iStock: credit smkstoll)
"Diverting old bikes from landfill is the right thing to do!"
“We estimate there is something like 800,000 bikes sitting in homes around Australia, of which the vast majority would normally go to landfill,” Guido Verbist, General Manager Revolve ReCYCLING said.
“Our strategy is redeployment first, that is we fix and repair bikes so they can be enjoyed by new owners. For bikes that we can’t redeploy, we pull them apart for spare parts and then send the separate components to recycling facilities. We set up Revolve ReCYCLING because we believe diverting old bikes from landfill is the right thing to do from an environmental perspective and it can be financially self-sufficient and economically sustainable,” he said.
Operating from small premises in Annandale a year ago, the team picked up and gathered their first collection of bikes and have been hard at work ever since.
Sabrina and Carlos are powerhouse pro mechanics in the Revolve ReCYCLING workshop and save bikes from landfill every week. (Photo: courtesy Revolve ReCYCLING)
Revolve ReCYCLING and Bingo Industries partnership
Earlier this year Revolve ReCYCLING partnered with waste experts Bingo Industries and moved into a new space in Alexandria. The space enables 6000 bikes to be processed annually and the model can be adopted throughout Australia.
“It means more room for our mechanics as we recycle and redeploy old bikes and prevent them from going to landfill. And importantly more room to showcase our growing range of affordable bikes, ” said a Revolve ReCYCLING spokesperson.
Revolve ReCYCLING Alexandria premises (Photo: courtesy Revolve ReCYCLING)
Key impacts
Revolve has since collected more than 4,000 bicycles, with many having been repaired and resold, pulled apart for spares and recycled. Revolve ReCYCLING is leading the way in demonstrating that recycling bikes makes social, environmental and economic sense. In just a very short time, the highly skilled team have successfully redeployed more than 595 bicycles, donated hundreds of kid's bikes and saved almost 43 tonnes of metal and rubber from landfill.
Incredibly impressive is the rapidly increasing 57,120 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions avoided by reusing bikes and parts.
This beautiful Bianchi from the SA road racing team was once an Olympic gold medalist’s training bike. Revolve ReCYCLING Alexandria premises (Photo: courtesy Revolve ReCYCLING)
Zero waste trial
During National Recycling Week Revolve Recycling announced that it is finalising a Zero Waste trial with leading Sydney bike shops like Omafiets, Glow Worm, 99 Bikes (Stanmore, Alexandria and Bondi Junction) and Sydney Electric Bikes (Ultimo and Hornsby).
The team has been collecting all the bike shops’ waste and measuring how the maximum amount can be diverted from landfill. That includes cardboard, metal, e-waste, batteries, soft plastic and rubber.
“All the shops have been awesome in participation and commitment and we’re very grateful to them. Now, we reckon we’ve got some solutions for the future. Stay tuned!” said the spokesperson.
Employment for vulnerable community members
Revolve’s business model is specifically designed to provide ongoing employment opportunities for vulnerable community members, including the long-term unemployed and people living with a disability.
“It is fantastic that Revolve ReCYCLING is tackling the growing problem of Personal Transport Vehicles (PTVs) waste with a financially and socially sustainable model,” says Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean. “By saving bikes from landfill and employing mechanics from disadvantaged and migrant backgrounds, Revolve is rebuilding bikes and rebuilding lives.”
Support Revolve ReCYCLING and the circular economy
Support Revolve ReCYCLING by donating old bikes or buying redeployed affordable branded rides. If you have an unwanted or unused bicycle parked on your veranda or in your shed, register for a collection here, or drop the bikes into the Alexandria warehouse. Next time you are looking to buy a bike, check out the Revolve ReCYCLING shop and consider choosing one that is both kind to people and our environment. Home delivery is possible for a small fee and all bikes come with a free service and warranties.
For more places to donate your bikes, both in Sydney and regional towns, check out our directory of fantastic bike recycling organisations.
