De Fietsambassade (The Bike Embassy) says its first 'home collection' of broken and worn-out bikes in Ghent is an unprecedented success. 821 Ghent residents, mainly from the suburbs, came forward. De Fietsambassade, a Ghent city organisation that rents out and repairs bicycles, collects the bikes for free and gives them a second life. The present project is a pilot. Ghent is the first Flemish city to organise such a home collection round.
De Fietsambassade in Ghent is satisfied with the first home collection of worn-out and broken bicycles. The pilot project aims to give so-called bicycle wrecks a second life. Ghent residents could register to take part in the collection until the end of October. Residents from the suburbs proved especially enthusiastic.
‘I find it easy. This way I don't have to drive to the recycle park in person and hand in my bike. Signing up was very simple. I think it's a good service,’ explains Greet from Drongen, a Ghent suburb.
Owners of clapped-out bikes must put their vehicle outside their front door or in the street side at an agreed time. The tyres must be flat, the handlebars turned round and a cross needs to be affixed to the saddle with tape. The owner leaves a description of their bike online. In that way collectors can definitely not make a mistake.
Little ends up on the scrap heap
‘After collection, we sort the bikes. We patch up broken bikes and turn them into new second-hand ones, or we dismantle them for parts. Our bicycle repairers use the parts for repairs. Only a small proportion actually ends up on the scrap heap,’ says Stijn Lewyllie of De Fietsambassade.
The project strikes less of a chord with inner-city Gentians. ‘That is not a problem. They already have an alternative,’ says Stijn. He means the special bike containers in about eight places across the city centre. Residents can drop off broken bikes here; last year 657 wrecks were given a second life thanks to this initiative.
This is the first time Ghent has organised a home collection round. ‘It is a pilot project that we want to evaluate thoroughly. We do see benefits in annual collection rounds.’ Whether this happens is a decision for the new city cabinet and council’.