Bhubaneswar, May 12: An unused bicycle that you think is no longer worth a ride can help an underprivileged student reach his school located some miles away from his house.

So, think twice before you trash them.

A group under the banner Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club (BCAC) are collecting old bicycles or parts and accessories and recycling them, not for personal use, but to distribute it among poor kids.

The members said that cycles could be refurbished and distributed among needy people. "A number of cycles are thrown away or are lying unused in homes, while many people in the city do not have money to afford public transport. Recycling is a great way to help them and also promote sustainability," said Sanjeeb Panda, president of the club and IG of Odisha State Armed Police.

On May 10, the group distributed five recycled cycles to inmates of Sri Sri Maa Ananda Ashram. The aim of the programme, "Recycle your cycle", aims at empowering orphan kids. "A number of children residing in various special homes have to walk long distances to reach their schools. A bicycle lightens this burden by providing affordable transport," said Ajay Nanda, a member of the group.

Nanda quit his corporate job and set up a store - 22 Bikes - that sells hi-end bicycles at Saheed Nagar. The group is promoting the scheme through various social networking sites and requesting people to donate their old cycles at his shop.

"To keep the wheels of change rolling, we urge public to donate their unused bicycle to us. We will repair and make it worthy of riding. After that, we will donate the cycles to orphan children," he said.

Apart from promoting on various online platforms, they are also requesting students of various educational institutions and other organisations to collect bicycles. He further said that various groups across the country were taking similar initiatives.

"People from across the state can donate their bicycles so that we can each out to more number of underprivileged kids," said Nanda.

The group conducts a number of biking expeditions to promote the culture of riding the eco-friendly mode of transport. Last year, they rode 1,252 km to Bhutan.

Last week, the group, along with 22 Bikes, conducted a basic cycling training session in the capital city.

The session was conducted by M.S. Sriram, the product specialist from Scott-India who spoke about various type of bikes, proper riding, position, basics of professional racing, maintenance etc.