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UGA reCYCLE The SUSTAINABILITY factor

UGA reCYCLE is a program that refurbishes bikes abandoned on campus bike racks and donates them to University of Georgia students or employees in need of transportation.

Funded through a campus sustainability grant, the program was originally designed by a group of students whose goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Pictured to the left is Jason Perry, program coordinator for the Office of Sustainability at UGA on Feb. 12. Perry helps run UGA reCYCLE, which started in 2014, by coordinating the removal of abandoned bikes from campus and reviewing candidates who may receive them.

"The initial project was to simply give [a bike] to anyone who was willing to pledge to drive less."

Now that the students who began the program have graduated, the focus has shifted to providing free transportation for those who couldn't otherwise afford it in addition to the original goal of simply reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The bulk of the program is run out of BikeAthens, a nonprofit that refurbishes donated bikes for Athens residents.

Upon receiving the bicycles, BikeAthens determines if the bike is viable to be repaired. They provide the new parts, which could include anything from chains to brakes to handle bars, and prepare the bike for its new owner.

Scott Long repairs a bike at BikeAthens in Athens, GA on Feb. 12. Long, who started volunteering with BikeAthens in September 2015, is now program director. He began working with Perry in 2016, as BikeAthens has more resources than the university dedicated to repairing used bicycles. (photo/Emily Lanoue)

An abandoned bicycle, pictured to the right, sits near the Hugh Hodgson School of Music on Feb. 13. The bike can be identified as abandoned by the flat tires and rusted chain.

The same bike sits abandoned near the Hugh Hodgson School of Music on Feb. 13. The rusted chain, if the bike is acquired by UGA reCYCLE, will eventually be replaced. (photo/Emily Lanoue)

The process for UGA reCYCLE to acquire abandoned bikes is long, and requires both law enforcement and a court order.

The process begins with Perry placing a yellow tag on bicycles that appear to be abandoned. After the tag is placed, the owner has 90 days to remove the bike before Perry and his police escort take it to be impounded. After another 90 days in impound and some paperwork from a judge, the bike can be legally handed over to BikeAthens for refurbishing.

A bike sits abandoned near the Hugh Hodgson School of Music on Feb. 13. Donned with a yellow tag, the bike has 90 days before it will be impounded. (photo/Emily Lanoue)

In the photo to the left, a yellow tag hangs from a bicycle at BikeAthens on Feb. 12. This bike has gone through the entire process and is ready to be refurbished and donated.

Long, pictured to the right, during his day at BikeAthens on Feb. 12, explains the process through which the nonprofit receives abandoned bikes for the program. Long suggests that rather than abandoning the bike, the owner donate it directly to BikeAthens; otherwise, the bike will have to go through the entire 180 day process.

"There's always a need to get the word out when move out day comes at the end of the school year. It's easier if [students] don't want their bike to simply donate it."

Perry emphasizes that the program, despite its shift toward making need-based donations, still has a strong sustainability factor. Biking rather than bussing can shave hours off of trips to the grocery store or trips to and from campus.

"If you broaden the scope of what you consider to be sustainability to include people and the social aspects of it, then giving people their time back to be able to prepare better meals for themselves, take care of family members, sleep, study ... it's definitely a sustainability improvement."

For those interested in saving time, money or the environment by riding a bike, BikeAthens offers a variety of classes open to the pubic. The content of the classes includes how to fix your own bike (FYOB) and how to bike around Athens without riding on major roads.

A blackboard in BikeAthens in Athens, GA on Feb. 12 lists numerous classes the public can take to learn about their bike and how to ride it. Dates and where to go for more details are also listed. (photo/Emily Lanoue)

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(photo/Emily Lanoue)

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