A man who tried to send 500 bicycles to a charity in Africa had them rejected at a Scottish port after they were classified as waste.
Nigel Carter, 64, had been collecting bicycles across Scotland to be shipped to Sudan, to help people who need access to cheap transport.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said the shipment could not leave the country because an inspector deemed them unfit for purpose as some needed repairs.
The bikes were returned to Mr Carter in Comrie, Perthshire, which he said meant they were at risk of being scrapped.
Mr Carter told BBC Scotland’s Drivetime on Thursday that he had collected the bikes from Scottish recycling centers to offer to Scottish charities – and that those that were not taken were given to a charity in Sudan.
Due to the current civil war in the Northeast African country, there is a lack of resources such as oil and fuel, which has made bicycles increasingly popular.
The bikes were shipped in a container to a Scottish port, where they were stopped for inspection by environmental officials.
Gary Walker, a waste manager at Sepa, said some bikes needed to be repaired before they could be used again.
The container was returned to Mr Carter.
He told the BBC he found it “ridiculous” that his container did not meet shipping requirements.
Mr Carter said he did not think there was a set standard by which the bikes should be marked and that the inspector’s decision was arbitrary.
“It’s as capricious as if someone were having a bad day and might refuse the container,” he said.
Mr Carter thinks it has become an “endless cycle” of waste [Graeme Hart / PPA]
Sepa’s Mr Walker said the necessary repairs to the bikes meant they were considered waste.
He said he had a duty to ensure Scotland’s waste was not simply dumped in another country.
In a statement, Sepa told BBC Scotland that they had contacted Mr Carter about the bike repairs before dispatch and were disappointed with their condition at the time they were dispatched.
They said they were not sure the bikes would be used as bicycles again.
Mr Carter said he suspected some of the bikes needed maintenance when they arrived in Africa, but he did not understand what else they would have been used for.
A cycle of waste
Mr Carter said the repairs suggested by Sepa were minor and easily fixed, including oil on chains, rusted frames and broken brake cables.
He said these repairs would be more cost-effective if they were carried out in Sudan rather than Scotland.
The Sudanese charity that received the bikes selected them and was pleased with their condition, Carter said.
He added that the bikes have also been approved by qualified bike makers.
The bicycles are said to have been used throughout Sudan to take children to school or to help people run their businesses.
He told the BBC that it was costing the Sudanese charity a lot of money to leave the shipping container in limbo, putting them at risk of closing.
Mr Carter said the bikes will now most likely be scrapped or returned to the recycling center where they were collected.
