Bike Donation and Recycling

On this page you will find information on where in Chicago you can donate your used bicycle. You can also find information on how to recycle parts of your bicycle, namely the rubber tires and inner tubes.

We recommend that you keep your bicycle out of Chicago's waste stream and give your old bicycle to one of the below organizations. Even if your bike is not rideable, it has parts that can be used!

NOTE: Please make arrangements with every organization before dropping off your bike, except where noted.

Last updated February 10, 2010.

Donations

The Recyclery Collective

7628 N Paulina
Chicago, IL 60626

Phone: 773-262-5900
Email: info@therecyclery.org
http://www.therecyclery.org

The Recyclery is a non-profit organization which donates to social-services organizations and sells donated bikes which it receives from community members. Some bikes are used in the youth education program, who can earn and keep the bike on which they worked during the class.

Working Bikes

2434 S Western
Chicago, IL 60612
773-847-5440

Drop-offs accepted Monday through Saturday, from 12 PM to 5 PM.

Multiple acceptance locations across Chicagoland:
http://workingbikes.org/donate/dropoff

Working Bikes is a non-profit organization which uses funds generated from the sale of donated and volunteer-rehabilitated bikes to ship bikes to developing nations around the world. You can email Working Bikes: donations@workingbikes.org.

Additionally, if you have ten or more bikes, call Working Bikes to arrange a pickup.

Blackstone Bicycle Works

6100 S. Blackstone Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
http://www.experimentalstation.org/blackstone

Blackstone is a non-profit organization which uses funds generated from the sale of volunteer-rehabilitated donated bikes to teach kids in the Woodlawn neighborhood how to repair and build bikes. Youth have the opportunity to keep the bike on which they worked during the class.

Turin Bicycle

1027 Davis Street
Evanston, IL 60201
847-864-7660
http://turinbicycle.com/

Turin Bicycle, a retail store, accepts bikes on behalf of Family Focus, a non-profit organization in Evanston, IL, supporting and strengthening families in many communities.

West Town Bikes

Alex Wilson (Email Alex)
2459 W Division St
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 772-6523
http://www.westtownbikes.org

Call or email Alex to arrange a dropoff.

West Town Bikes is a non-profit organization which provides donation-based classroom workshops for all community members. It also operates after-school youth programs, and uses donated bikes for earn-a-bike programs for youth in the summer.

HELP OUT: If you have used-bike drop-off centers that you would like to add to this list, please email Steven Vance.

Recycling

Local bike shops

Many local bike shops in Chicago will accept your used inner tubes. Some people can reuse them to as straps and tie downs for cargo and trailers. Ask your local bike shop if they'll take your used inner tubes or tires.

Working Bikes

See location and contact information above.

Working Bikes accepts used bike tubes in any condition. Volunteers patch and repair most tubes, and put to other use the tubes which are beyond repair.

Working Bikes Cooperative plays a major and a much appreciated role in Chicago's abandoned bicycle removal program, refurbishing each year hundreds of Chicagoans' abandoned bikes and preventing them from entering the city's waste stream. This program is managed by the Bicycle Program Bike Parking staff.

Liberty Tire Recycling

The General Manager at Liberty Tire Recycling has agreed to accept bike tires and tubes from Chicago cyclists.

1323 W Cortland St
Weekdays, 7 AM-3:30 PM
Simply enter the office door

Liberty Tire will charge 50 cents per bike tire and tube pair. If you have a "truckload" of tires, please call to arrange your delivery.

What happens to the tires and tubes? The tires and tubes are shredded alongside auto tires and shipped to a cement kiln. The cement kiln uses rubber to burn as fuel to reduce its use of coal. Rubber also has a higher BTU rating (burning efficiency) than coal and doesn't emit oxides of sulfur like coal. By being burned, tires and tubes don't have to be placed in a landfill (which is banned from many landfills) where it will pose many more risks to the environment.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has this webpage of Frequently Asked Questions about TDF, Tire Derived Fuel. We recommend you do your own research on BTU, energy use, tire derived fuel, and rubber recycling to see if this kind of tire reycling is the right method for you.

If you have any tips to improve bike tire recycling in Chicago, please call or email Steven Vance in the Bike Program, 312-744-0513.

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