The TrashMob, our community of runners, riders and roamers, has in the last year become an international ecosystem of organisations and individuals seeking to leave positive traces on the places they love. One Bike Tanzania is one such organisation, bringing the TFT mission and community to the heart of Moshi. We’re thrilled to have this guest piece on our blog, sharing all about how they adventure with purpose on their ‘Re-Cycling Tour’.
Words by Solène Perbost
Tanzania…The giant in East Africa. Famous for its national parks, Mount Kilimanjaro, and stunning beaches. While Kenya remains the first tourist destination in East Africa, Tanzania is getting more and more popular amongst travellers who wish to go on safaris or relax on the beautiful island of Zanzibar.
Small organisations are trying to balance the impact of such mass tourism by offering sustainable travel as an alternative to polluting safaris and other types of travel.
One Bike Tanzania is one of these small social enterprises. Founded in 2018 by two brothers from Moshi who were passionate about mountain biking and nature, One Bike Tanzania has a bike shop and offers adventurous-cultural cycling trips in Tanzania. OBT promotes sustainable bike tourism as a way to discover Tanzania differently, closer to the local communities and more respectful of nature and the environment.
But more than simply offering cycling trips, One Bike Tanzania is also fighting against pollution and advocating for the bicycle lifestyle in Moshi and all around Tanzania. Even though single-use plastic bags are banned from Tanzania, infrastructure and education are limited so it is very common to find plastic bottles and cans on the street in Tanzania.
To fight against this, One Bike Tanzania started in 2019 its “Re-Cycling tour” as a way to bring awareness on plastic pollution and much more…
The Re-Cycling Tour
The “Re-Cycling Tour” is one of the social projects developed by One Bike Tanzania. It combines the introduction of the cycling culture in Tanzania while helping build a sustainable present and future for the community.
It is a monthly event in partnership with the Environment Office of Moshi, where everyone is free to join. The attendees head out on their bikes to collect plastic on the city streets. The plastic is then brought to the local recycling facilities to be processed to make something of value, from trash to treasure!
This event was born during the process of refocusing the vision of the OBT brand, shifting from a simple bike shop into an active community of environmental lovers. The objective to help and support the local community was at the heart of the mission, and crossed over naturally with the sustainability component of cycling.
The guerrilla event was reported by the national Daily News, underlining the commitment of One Bike Tanzania to environment and sustainability activities.
Since 2019, more than 800 kg of plastic have been collected and we have already noticed several encouraging changes in the community. For example, people are starting to use bicycles as a way of transport, we find less and less plastic in the street and people start recycling the plastic themselves and using it to make other things.
Fighting to keep Tanzania clean
Though it is expected that Tanzania will welcome more tourists in the years to come, it is paramount to protect Tanzania - its nature, its culture, and its people. Leaving no trace is not enough anymore, it is now time to #LeaveAPositiveTrace while going on adventures, and this is exactly what One Bike Tanzania and its “Re-Cycling Tour” aim to do.
Special thank you to Solène and the rest of the OBT team for the incredible work you’re doing. We’re honoured to have you as part of the Trash Free Trails family, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
Be sure to check out their work, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.