Cycles Recycling

Interested in Cycles? Read This!

A printable copy of this document in brochure form is available here: http://cyclesrecycling.com/documents/overview_brochure.pdf

Thank you for your interest in Cycles as your curbside recycling program. We are a local curbside recycling service that transports all materials by bicycle. We serve all locations within the city limits, and bike in almost every imaginable weather condition, besides tornadoes. Ok, just really bad tornadoes.

To Get Started

It's easy. Just give us a call and we'll schedule a day for your pickups. We provide the bin and you provide the recyclables. We can come by every week, other week, or every four weeks to haul away whatever you have, depending on your need.

Why use bicycles? Well, why not?!

Being avid cyclists, we could rattle off an extensive and probably boring list of reasons why using bicycles for a recycling company makes sense. Here are a simple few, though:

• The ecological imperative to do so is very strong. Rather than being powered by pollutive petrochemicals, a bicycle is fueled by cleanburning human power, and much more efficient in terms of energy consumption. Biking and recycling go hand in hand in terms of lessening our environmental impact.
• With regard to cost, a bicycle is cheaper to insure, maintain, and fuel. Bread is a lot cheaper than gasoline! By keeping our own costs low, we can maintain an affordable service to our customers.
• Since taking over the business in September, we've pedaled over 3,000 miles, and recycled over 27 tons of recyclable material. By using a bicycle instead of a van, we've conserved over 180 gallons of gasoline and prevented over 3,000 lbs of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
• Rather than being another anonymous vehicle, a bicycle towing 300 lbs of recyclables stands out. It gives us the chance to wave at people, say hello to pedestrians on the sidewalk and be chased by dogs. We're also more accessible to customers and the community, thus we frequently stop in a driveway to chat.

Details, Details

Here are some answers to questions that you may have about the basics of our service. If you have any others, feel free to call or email us.

Do I need to sort anything?

Although don't require you to sort your bin, we do very much appreciate it. Sorting helps cut down on monotony at the recycling center and makes it less likely that we'll get scraped or cut up. In the list of items we accept, each number marks a category of things that get recycled together. You needn't bag every single item separately, but if you have a number of things you can help by putting them in a grocery bag together. You may squash things down to get more out of the real estate in your bin. Please do see to it that everything is clean.

Where oh where does all of the recycling go?

We take all of your recyclables to the Ames Redemption Center (map), where it is sorted and shipped to Des Moines to be recycled.

How much and when do I pay you?

The cost for each bin pickup is $6 for the first bin, and $5 for every bin after that (so two bins in one day would be $11, and 3 $16, etc.). You'll get an an invoice every two months, by email, or in your bin, along with a newsletter. You can leave your check in a dry, visible spot with your next bin pickup, give it to us when you see us riding by, or send it by mail to 2019 Friley Rd. Ames, IA 50014 (you'll also find the address on the invoice).

Will there be days in winter when you won't pick up my bins because of the cold/snow?

One disadvantage of using bicycles is that extremely inclement weather can make it dangerous or impossible to ride. If we cannot make it to your house because of weather (or any other reason), we will be sure to call and/or email you.

Do you ever get really tired?

Yes. Yes, we do. But some raisins and a glass of water usually perk us right back up. Usually.

Here's a list of things we accept:

1. All Plastic Containers
2. Plastic Bags (black or gray bags can't be recycled)
3. Glass (no windows or lightbulbs)
4. Tin Cans
5. Aluminum Cans
6. Newspapers and Inserts
7. Magazines / Glossy Paper
8. Office Paper White, Colored, or Shredded
9. Cardboard and Paper Grocery Sacks
10. Wetboard (Shiny cardboard like cereal, pop and beer boxes)
11. All Batteries
12. Phone Books / Books
13. Clothes in good condition

If you have questions about anything else that you would like recycled or hauled away, give us a call or email! (515) 708-4729 / cyclesrecycling@gmail.com