Formentera introduces recycle-a-bike service at Deixalleria

foto 2020 bici deixalleriaThe Formentera Department of Environment announces the start of a service that lets islanders recycle bikes at the local household waste disposal point.

Environment councillor Antonio J. Sanz said the idea “came from seeing the vast numbers of cast-off bikes recovered by local upkeep crews”. “It’s a great way to cut waste and promote reuse. What the Consell has tried to do is clean up the materials and help islanders imagine a second life for them. Reducing waste and supporting a circular economy are our firm commitment”. Sanz highlighted celebration this week of European Waste Prevention Week, and asserted, “It’s an issue where building social awareness is fundamental”.

2019 saw the start of another educational push at the Deixalleria: a pilot project to rethink the costly process of chipping used pallets at the transfer station and shipping them to Eivissa. Five-hundred seventy pallets have been recycled, amounting to a total savings of €2,722 since the programme’s launch.

Roughly twenty bikes and fifteen pallets are are available for free delivery to anyone who registers at the Deixalleria’s drop-off point and agrees to certain terms: items may not be resold, they must be used sensibly and in keeping with local environmental regulations. It is expressly forbidden to burn pallets that are painted or treated with varnish. The Consell de Formentera reserves the right to take bikes or pallets back if terms are violated.

The Deixalleria is open 9.00am to 1.30pm Monday to Saturday and 3.30pm to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

28 November 2020
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera