A man who tried to send 500 bicycles to a charity in Africa has had them refused at a Scottish port after being told to destroy them.
Nigel Carter, 64, has been collecting bicycles in Scotland to send to Sudan, to help people in need of cheap transport.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said that the equipment will not leave the country as the inspector found that it is not ready to work because some of them need to be repaired.
The bikes were sent back to Mr Carter in Comrie, Perthshire, meaning they risked being dumped.
Mr Carter told BBC Scotland's Drivetime on Thursday that he collected bikes from Scottish recycling centers to give to Scottish charities – and those that were not taken were given to a charity in Sudan.
The ongoing civil war in the north-east African country means that resources such as oil and petrol are in short supply, so bicycles are now in high demand.
The bikes were sent in a container to a port in Scotland, where they were stopped for inspection by environmental officials.
Gary Walker, 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 thought it was “ridiculous” that his container did not meet transport requirements.
Mr Carter said he did not think there was a set standard against which the bikes were marked and the inspector's decision was unfounded.
“It is laughed at as if someone will have a bad day and refuse the container,” he said.
Mr Carter thinks it has become a “perpetual cycle” of waste [Graeme Hart / PPA]
Sepa's Mr Walker said the maintenance required for the bikes meant they were considered waste.
He said he has a duty to ensure that Scotland's waste is not simply dumped in another country.
In a statement, Sepa told BBC Scotland that they had contacted Mr Carter about repairs to the bikes prior to shipment and were disappointed with their condition when they were shipped.
They said they are not sure if these bikes will be used as bicycles again.
Mr Carter said he suspected that some of the bikes would need work when they arrived in Africa but he did not understand what else they would be used for.
The waste cycle
According to Mr Carter the repairs suggested by Sepa were minor and easy to fix, including oil on the chains, rusted frames and broken brake lines.
He said this repair would be more expensive if it was done in Sudan and not in Scotland.
A Sudanese bicycle charity had chosen them and they were delighted with their condition, Mr Carter said.
He added that the bikes are also certified by trained bike experts.
These bicycles would have been used throughout Sudan for children to go to school or to help people run their businesses.
He told the BBC it was costing Sudanese charities to keep the shipping container “in the open” and risk being shut down.
Mr Carter said the bikes would now be disposed of or returned to a recycling centre, where they were collected.
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