TAMPA SOLID WASTE WORKERS RECOVER AND RESTORE BIKES
Tampa Solid Waste workers are restoring bicycles for a local non-profit organization dedicated to mentoring Tampa teens. McKay Bay Transfer Station workers noticed a hauler with close to 30 bikes looking to dispose of them at the facility.
The workers recovered the bikes before they were dumped and discarded. Out of the 30 or so bikes, 10 of them were recovered and restored to tip-top shape.
Everyday tons of debris are disposed of at the McKay Bay Transfer Station. Workers notice many items that can be reused or donated end up in the waste stream. Once items hit the tipping floor, they can't be recovered.
The 10-plus bikes are finding a new home. Teens mentored by the non-profit organization T.T.T ( Take The Time Mentoring group) will visit McKay Bay to receive the bicycles. The organization mentors Tampa teens on etiquette and exposes them to community service projects across the city.
Solid Waste Interim Supervisor Fredrick Sanders is the group's non-profit's founder and is inviting the teens and their families to receive the bicycles on Friday, July 22, 2022.
"This is a great way to give back to teens in need while educating them on what it means to reduce and reuse items. These bikes would have made it into a landfill, but now they have found a new home," says McKay Bay Transfer Station Supervisor Nathan McGriff.
Nathan McGriff, Fredrick Sanders, and his mentoring group will be available for interviews at 1:00 p.m. Today.