by Page Buono

Low-ball estimates suggest that Americans throw away nearly 250 million tons of trash each year. And within that heap of waste, are nearly 15 million bikes – many of them salvageable.

Fortunately, programs are popping up nationally and internationally to keep bikes out of landfills and put them in the hands of people who might not otherwise be able to afford one. Locally, Russell Zimmermann, longtime owner of the Durango Cyclery, is filling the niche with a new program, the Recyclery.

Zimmermann and the staff at the Cyclery accept donated bikes of all sizes and in all conditions.  Depending on the status of the bike when it arrives on their doorstep, they either pull off usable parts and send the rest to salvage, of deem the bike worthy of repair. Sometimes all that means is a wipe down and some new tires; other times it’s a bit more involved.

The guys do the work – utilizing used parts where possible – and turn around and sell the bikes, charging only for labor and new parts. Bikes that were donated in good condition are given away for free to those with the most need.  

“It’s very organic really: who needs a free bike and who doesn’t. It pretty much sorts itself out,” Zimmermann said.

The program got a slow start at the end of last summer, the need for bikes continuing well into winter. Zimmermann said so far, the program has had some profound, and maybe not so profound, impacts.

“I had a guy come in this winter and he asked if I had any bikes,” Zimmermann said. He asked what the man could afford, to which the man responded ‘brother, I got no money.” At the time, Zimmermann didn’t have any free bikes to give the man, but two weeks later one was donated. He wiped it down and put some air in the tires, then set it out front with a free sign.

“Two days later, I see the guy walking up the alley,” Zimmermann said. He asked the man if he still needed a bike, and handed the free bike over to the man.

A couple months later, the man returned.

“I recognized him, but he’d shaved and stuff. I asked him how he was doing and he said ‘man, I just wanted to stop by and tell you, you gave me a bike and now I have a job and an apartment and a girlfriend and it all started with that bike’” Zimmermann recalled. “The bike was given away for free but the value of that comment is huge for me.”

For Rusty McCune, a new bike didn’t give him a girlfriend – yet. On a recent visit to the shop, McCune thanked Zimmermann, saying the bike he’d gifted him saved his life. “I’ve lost 30 pounds.”  He’s 59 and suffers from diabetes, and said that commuting via bike has helped him lose the extra weight.

Zimmermann estimates that over the last year, since the program’s launch, Recyclery has distributed between 80 to 90 bicycles. Depending on the condition of the bikes donated, bikes can resell for anywhere from nothing to $1,200. The mechanics take creative license with certain donated bikes that offer something special, using nicer parts and producing something more customized.

Bike parts that are beyond repair are placed in the “mini-salvage yard’” in the alley for a time, where they are often picked up and used by local artists. The pieces that don’t find a home are taken to the salvage yard, the majority of which are ironically used for auto parts. Nothing that the Recyclery collects is funneled to the landfill.

Zimmermann often has no idea where the bikes come from, because drop-offs are accepted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That being said, Zimmermann prefers people make drop-offs during business hours so he can connect with them.

“It brings the community into the bicycle story. It lets them know that if they have a bike just sitting in their garage and don’t know what to do with it, amazing things are going to happen if they give it to us. Including that if it requires no work at all, we give the bike away for free,” Zimmermann said.

Roland Mora stopped by after hearing about the Recyclery program from Cyclery employee Jon Bailey. He purchased a 16-inch bike for his 2½-year-old son for $17, a brand new version of which would have cost closer to $200.

“It’s a sweet, perfectly running bike for the fraction of the cost that I would have paid for a new bike, not to mention the whole recycling piece,” Mora said.

For those who follow Bicycle Lemonade, the Recyclery is a cousin of sorts. Bicycle Lemonade is shifting gears to become a trailer that will act as a mobile bike shop, traveling around to schools and teaching kids how to repair, rejuvenate, recycle and create their own bikes.  

“If you show kids how simple it is to maintain their transportation, they might not get into cars ever, and it’s really empowering.” Zimmermann said.
Zimmermann found that the original concept behind Bicycle Lemonade, which was to give away bikes, didn’t work because the bikes were often found trashed or unappreciated. Having them in the shop creates value and less waste in the bikes.

An additional benefit of the program is that the products are, in some way, locally made, and often of higher quality than new bikes.
“If I had a $300 bike from WalMart sitting here and one that we’d refurbished, there’d be no comparison,” Zimmermann said.

Other recipients of free bikes from the Recylery program include Project Merry Christmas, the Homeless Shelter and the Southwest Safe House.
Kaye Weis, Board Member for Project Merry Christmas, received about one-third of the bikes they gifted to children last Christmas from the Recyclery.

“Some of those kids never thought they would have a bike,” Weis said, adding that especially for the teens, the bikes were great because although they weren’t necessarily new, they could appreciate the high, one-of-kind quality.

For Zimmermann, it is this kind of enlightenment that keeps his wheels rolling. In fact, it’s safe to say, he won’t stop until every man, woman and child has two wheels underneath them.

 “I really believe that already existing on this planet, in people’s garages and back yards and so forth, there are enough bikes to fuel our transportation needs forever. We just don’t need to produce any more bikes,” Zimmermann said.

For more, visit www.durangocyclery.com.