City sells lost and found bicycles

More bikes are lost or abandoned around town during the summer than any other time of year, according to Susan Grimm, team leader of waste and recycling services for the City of Airdrie.

Each year, more than 50 bikes are recovered in Airdrie parks or along pathways by the City’s parks department and the RCMP.

The bikes are held for 30 days to give owners a chance to reclaim them. After 30 days, they are put up for sale at Airdrie’s recycling depot.

The program prevents bikes from going into the landfill, and provides bikes for residents at a nominal fee.

“We also often have people who bring in their own used bikes that they no longer use or that their kids have outgrown, so those are thrown in as well as part of the program,” Grimm said.

“Our only request is that donated bikes be in decent shape. If you would buy it for yourself or buy it for your child, we will take it for resale.”

Grimm said that any money collected from the sale supplements the fees at the depot and helps to keep residents’ environmental fees down.

“We’ve been doing this for about three years and it’s been a really successful program,” Grimm said.

Adult bikes cost $20, and kids’ bikes are sold for $10. Residents can stop by the recycling depot to view the bikes anytime during regular business hours (Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

The program will be ongoing until October.

People looking for a lost or stolen bike can contact Airdrie’s public works department at 403-948-8415 to see if the City has it.

Correction:

In the May 18 edition of the Airdrie City View, in the article “Airdrie recycling depot offering summer programs,” we forgot to mention that the recycling depot is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.