Canberra Environment Centre director Fiona Veikkanen is encouraging people to donate to the fundraiser this weekend. Photo: Canberra Environment Centre.
The Recyclery is an initiative of the Canberra Environment Centre, and they are all about bikes. They run workshops to teach people how to fix their own bikes, they refurbish and resell pre-loved bikes, and it’s all run by a team of dedicated volunteers.
But for the last few years, since the Canberra Environment Centre moved from their ANU location to Gungaderra Homestead, they’ve been doing all this work out of a bin shed: a kind of ironic accommodation for an organisation dedicated to reducing waste to landfill!
But all that is about to change.
The Recyclery has been fundraising to build a brand new community bike repair shed, and they’re inviting Canberrans to come and have a sneak peek at the work-in-progress this weekend.
“There’s such high demand from the broader community for this service,” CEC director Fiona Veikkanen told Region.
“There was an existing shed on site, so we’ve been crowdfunding to fit it out and equip it to make it a functioning, vibrant, community space.”
The Recyclery has been operating out of a bin shed, but they need more space to meet the community demand for their services. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The new shed will provide protection from the elements, upgraded equipment and tools and, crucially, more space to allow more volunteers to get involved and meet the demand from the community.
Last year, while working out of the bin shed, the team of volunteers refurbished and sold 250 bikes, and the team aims to grow that number significantly in the new space.
“But it’s not just about selling bikes. It’s also about teaching people the skills so that they can maintain their own bike,” Fiona said.
“Maintenance isn’t always a very newsworthy topic, but when we’re talking about recycling and waste avoidance, maintenance is a really important step in making sure things don’t end up in landfill.”
The sneak peek event this weekend aims to get the project to the fundraising goal of $20,000. Over $12,000 has been donated already, with a range of benefits available for different dollar amounts. And there will be more goodies available to purchase on the day, cycling legend Caroline Buchanen has donated a box of items straight from her cycling stash, including a signed jersey.
The team will also be surveying the community on the day about what kinds of workshops, events and tools they’d like to see provided by The Recyclery. They are also working on updating the website to make it easier for people to book in and volunteer.
The Recyclery sells high quality refurbished bicycles, and they’re hoping to increase this service with the new facilities. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Learning to fix your own bike isn’t just a handy skill, it can be empowering and could save you money. Fiona also said that cycling culture has an important role to play in environmental action.
“The Canberra Environment Centre and our role for The Recyclery is about giving people practical opportunities for climate action. The leading cause of emissions in Canberra is transportation, so our everyday actions like waste avoidance or riding your bike make a difference. We want to make that accessible and achievable for more people.”
Everyone is invited to have a sneak peek at The Recyclery’s new community bike repair shed on Saturday, 1 March, from 10 am to 12 pm, and donate to the Recyclery fundraiser.
The shed is located at The Canberra Environment Centre, Gungaderra Homestead, Otway Street, Harrison.
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