Posted on Monday 5th August 2024
Cyclists Richard Powell, Adam Fenn, Paul Parton, Kerrie Parton and David Ibbetson at the bike recycling scheme's promotional event.
People have been donating their unwanted bicycles at a promotional event at Harplands Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.
Staff from the county council’s recycling team used national Cycle to Work Day on Thursday 1 August to trial the bike recycling scheme. The scheme hopes to collect, upcycle and refurbish bikes, which will then be made available to disadvantaged families across the county.
Staff from North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, who hosted the event, also used the day to encourage more staff to cycle to work.
In addition to collecting the bikes, people were also offered advice on bike maintenance and safer cycling, along with ideas for more active travel.
Simon Tagg, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change, attended the event.
Simon said:
“This could be a really successful project for the county council and it was great to learn more about it from the team.
“Not only would it help reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfill, which is one of our priorities, but it would also help local families. Cycling is a great activity and we’re keen to see more of it, whether it’s cycling for pleasure or cycling to and from work. This project could help get bicycles to families, which we hope will help improve their health and well-being, as well as cutting down on emissions from car fumes.”
Liz Mellor, Chief Strategy Officer at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, said:
“The trust supported national Cycle to Work Day as part of our NHS commitment to reaching carbon net zero. Travel and Transport constitutes the second highest area of emissions across the trust, producing an estimated 194 tonnes of CO2 each year.
“On the day we were joined by our colleagues from Staffordshire County Council who took donations of bikes to be donated to families in Staffordshire and INTO Newcastle, which promoted its services to staff, patients and visitors at our Harplands Hospital site. We were pleased to contribute to this fantastic initiative and grateful to all our staff that made donations."
The scheme could be rolled out across Staffordshire’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres.