Swansea-based Cycle Solutions have become an early adopter of Velorim, the National Bicycle Tyre Recycling Scheme. As a Velorim Centre, Cycle Solutions will offer its customers and other cyclists the opportunity to recycle their inner tubes and tyres.

Velorim, founded in 2018, began rolling out the scheme to trial sites this year. Their aim is to get 85% of the UK’s bicycle tyres and tubes properly recycled. The official launch is due to be early 2021. Directors, Richard Lawrence and Russ Taylor, along with CEO, Dave Hawthorn identified the need for a proper facility to recycle tubes and tyres.

In the UK alone, 44,000 tonnes of waste tubes and tyres are discarded annually. The UK Government is currently working on the Environment Bill 2020 which will see scrapping bicycle tyres made illegal once passed.

Velorim director, Richard Lawrence is pleased the cycling industry have been so positive about the scheme;

“We welcome organisations such as Cycle Solutions into the early days and beta testing phase of the collection scheme for bicycle tyres and inner tubes.  These organisations are showing that they take the green credentials of cycling seriously.”

To take part in the scheme, people can visit Cycle Solutions bike shop in Swansea’s Uplands area, or the main Cycle Solutions head office in Fforestfach, to dispose of their tyres and tubes. There will be a charge of 20p per inner tube and 50p per tyre, this charge enables the scheme to run.

Talking about the recycling process, Richard added,

“the tyres will be shredded and used for things like safety flooring or equestrian surfacing.  We are in the process of testing the devulcanisation of the tyre rubber so that it can be fed back into the manufacturing process.”

Upon joining the scheme, Cycle Solutions Director, Steve Edgell said,

“There is no doubt that cycling has huge positive impacts on the environment. But to maximise these benefits we need to ensure that the impact of the potentially harmful waste products put out by the bike industry are minimised. We have long sought a sustainable solution for the disposal of old tyres and inner tubes. Velorim provides just that solution and we are really pleased to support this initiative.”