Donate!

Give Your Old Bike a New Home!

Each year Bikes Not Bombs processes about 5,000 used bikes, brought in as donations by people like you, who cannot stand to see good resources getting thrown out. We'd love to help your old bike onto a new life.

Other stuff we're looking for.

Bikes Not Bombs can't survive on bikes alone! If you've got extra computer software, bike tools, hardware, we might find a use for it!

Recycling

We call it "recycling" just because it's too cool not to, but what we are really doing is re-using. Here's the wisdom of resource conservation:

Best step: reducing use. Do you really need that item at all? Do you have to make that trip? Do you need to own that second car? Or even that second bike?! Moving closer to work is a great example of a reducing step in terms of conserving transportation resources.

Next best step: re-using items the second step. OK, so you bought that bottle of fancy drinking water. Now can you remember to keep refilling the bottle and taking it with you so you dont have to buy another one? Can you get that old bike fixed up and working rather than buying a new one? How about checking out the used cycling clothes on sale at BNB instead of buying some new gear?

Third step: recycling what you can't re-use. That means actually taking the item apart and using the materials again, e.g. melting down metal and plastics, grinding up paper and cardboard. At BNB we do take the bike parts we can't use and send them along to the appropriate metal recycling yards, but mostly we get bikes and parts back into use, here in Boston's lower-income neighborhoods or in developing countries.

If you're ready to bring in that old bicycle, or you have any other questions about bike donations, please call us at 617-522-0222 or , our Donations Coordinator.

Bikes

Bikes that are donated directly benefit communities around the world. Sometimes, they're shipped halfway across the globe, and sometimes they help youth right in Boston.

Important Bike Donation Guidelines

1. PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU DONATE YOUR BIKE. If you just bring the bicycle by, we may not be able to take it (we squeeze a lot of classes and youth programs into a small area with all the bikes, and sometimes are just full-up!). The only exception to this is Wednesday evenings, when bikes are always welcome.


2. We are not able to pick up bicycles. In special situations, we can get volunteers to pick up your bikes IF you have 10 or more in one location.


3. Bikes Not Bombs takes donations in our new location in Jamaica Plain's Brewery Complex, 284 Amory St (enter parking lot and go to the left of the building). The best time to come by is Wednesday evening while we have volunteers here from 7-10pm. Please call 617-522-0222 if you prefer to bring bicycle donations during the week to make sure someone will be here to accept them. Directions


4. There are regular BNB Drop-Off spots in several outlying metro-Boston area towns. Please call to get the latest information - there may be a drop-off spot near your home.


5. There may be a special Bike Drive planned in your area. Check here to see the schedule of upcoming drives.


6. We request a donation of $5 or more per bike, to help get your bikes into positive use again (it costs BNB an average of $35 cash plus a lot of volunteer labor to get each bicycle back into use). We will, of course, accept bikes without this donation.

Laptops needed quickly to send to Ghana

A BNB volunteer will be leaving for Ghana this coming week, and David Branigan, our trainer at the new BNB project in Koforidua, needs a laptop to replace his which has died. If you have a laptop to donate, contact us as soon as possible! It needs to be Mac laptop, at least a G4 processor, and let us know the processor speed and RAM.

Mac Laptops
We do send laptops overseas with our trainers and sometimes to leave with one of our international partner projects (thanks to those of you who donated the two laptops which are in Africa right now and the one that went to Nevis Island!)

PC Laptops
While we use almost all Macs, we do need a PC laptop for our office. Pentium IV or equivalent (such as the Centrino processor). Let us know what you have!

Supplies

Software
Let us know if you have other software for Mac OSX to donate.

• Filemaker 5.5
• Filemaker 5.5 Server
• InDesign
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• Acrobat
• Acrobat Distiller

Computer Hardware

• Macintosh laptop that can run OSX
• Flatscreen all-in-one Macs (half-dome processor forms the base)
• Flat screen monitors

For Sorting Parts & Shipping Overseas
(we can always use more since we ship these off)

• Milkcrates
• Square plastic kitty litter containers
• 5 gallon water containers (5-gallon buckets)
• Half-gallon plastic or waxed paper milk or orange-juice containers (cut off top, fit into milk crates to make buckets for small parts)
• Big plastic bins, like the curbside recycling blue bins

For Youth Programs

• Clean sealable plastic tubs for storing food, first aid supplies, helmets, etc. Big bins are great!
• Alarm clocks
• 2x4s for fork rack
• Walkie Talkies

Office/Shop

• Plants (thanks for those already donated!)

People

For more information see the Get Involved page.

• Truck driver for Wed PM or Thurs AM to drive bikes a few blocks to storage
• Maintenance/cleaning help (staff splits it now, but your help can free up staff time!)
• Wednesday Night Volunteers, 7-10pm: we'll train you for hands-on bike work
• Office Volunteers: when's good for you?
• Interns: let's talk