A bicycle NGO is tackling Israel's waste problem by making people think twice about what they throw away while providing them with quality bikes rescued from and made out of trash.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
"People come here and learn to do things themselves, which is something that people aren't accustomed to anymore," Nathanael Singer, founder of Pnimeet Bike-Recycling, told i24NEWS.
"We're trying to… teach them how to fix bikes. A lot of people… don't have a clue about bicycles. We try to give everything we can to make sure they feel comfortable working in this workshop," he added.
About 25% of what goes into Israel's trash system gets recycled, compared to an average of roughly 50% among OECD countries.
"We make too much garbage as it is," said Jaffa resident and Pnimeet customer Ady.
"Why not re-use things that are great and in good condition?"
Singer explained to i24NEWS that he is trying to encourage the concept of reusing our possessions rather than buying new ones.
"People that come here are amazed… they realize that trash for someone can be gold for someone else," he says.
With the help of volunteers, Pnimeet collects materials across Tel Aviv, either from people offering undesired things or finding reusable stuff in scrapyards.
"For the better sake of the globe, trying to have fewer products manufactured would be beneficial for everyone," Singer said.
"And teaching people that not buying something new, and just fixing or reusing something, can also be great."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
