The idea was to collect second-hand bicycles and ship them to countries where
they could be put to good use, for example by children going to school, to
transport goods or as bicycle taxis, and also to provide means of maintaining
and repairing the bicycles. The bicycles were shipped in sea containers that
could be converted into repair workshops. In this way, the project offers a
combination of recycling, education and practical expertise.
To kick off the project, secondary schools, civil organizations and DSM
employees were asked to collect second-hand bicycles and bicycle parts. Their
efforts received a lot of publicity.
For each project two sea containers were converted into mobile repair
workshops and filled with around 500 bicycles, a lot of spare parts and all
the necessary tools and equipment, and shipped to Ghana, Malawi and Brazil. A
training manual on bicycle maintenance and repair has also been written and is
used to train mechanics in the countries receiving the bicycles.
Once the repair and maintenance workshops have been constructed and fitted
out, local teachers give technical training under the supervision of the local
foundations. Based on the results of this Dream project, the Ministry of
Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Netherlands has been
asked to investigate the feasibility of a recycling system based on the
“disposal charge” on durable goods. This Dream project will run until the end
of 2005.
