Donate A Used Bicycle

Bike donations are tax-deductible, and we love to hear stories about your bike donation!

bike donation receipt
visit the warehouse

 

At Bike Works, we rely on bike donations to run our social enterprise shop, youth & adult programs, and community bike giveaways. We process between 5,000 – 8,000 bike donations every year – that’s about 250,000 pounds diverted from the waste stream in the form of clean, reliable transportation!

  • Accepted Donations: most, but not all bikes, parts, and bike-related accessories 
  • Tires: $1 suggested donation per tire (we have to pay to recycle them in Portland, OR)
  • E-Bikes: Consider selling your E-Bike and donating the proceeds to Bike Works instead. We do not have the capacity to safely process or store E-Bikes

MORE Frequently Asked Questions

 

BICYCLE RECYCLING DROP-OFF LOCATIONS

 

Bike Works Warehouse (Inside CLOSED to Public): 3715 S Hudson St #111 (back entrance) Seattle, WA 98118

  • Drop-Off Daily 11 AM – 5 PM. No Appointment Necessary. Proceed to the back of the Hudson Building at the location of the photo above. Please leave donations with the bike rack near the parked Bike Works vans. Staff check the area often. Donations will not be received on holidays or other closures, please see Calendar for updates. No E-Bikes. No Bike Limit. Please call if over 10 bikes.

North Transfer Station – 1350 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103

  • Ten bike limit & No E-Bikes. Find our Bike Bin at the Recycle & Reuse Center Building near the entrance of the transfer station, just before you check into the scale house. Pull up to the automatic garage door and our green Bike Bin will be right in front of you. 

 South Transfer Station – 130 S Kenyon St, Seattle, WA 98108

  • No E-Bikes. Find our green Bike Bin after you check in with the scale house and enter the facility. Our green Bike Bin is near the exit, on the far north end of the Transfer Station. 

Rack N Road Renton – 401 Rainier Ave N, Renton, WA 98057

  • Car Racks Accepted! Two bike limit & No E-Bikes. No Parts/Accessories accepted at this site. Drop off during business hours and make sure to mention Bike Works (they’ll donate the value to Bike Works of every rack you bring in on our behalf!).
  • Trunk racks must be Yakima or THULE
  • Please contact Bike Works Warehouse (Recycle & Reuse) for any questions or tax information: 206-257-5895 or steveg@bikeworks.org (Staff at Rack N’ Road will not be able to answer questions on behalf of Bike Works)

Bike Drives: Check our Calendar for nearest Bike Drive happening in your part of town. Organizations throughout the greater Seattle area may be collecting donations on behalf of Bike Works. 

 

Tacoma & Everett Donations

 

2nd Cycle Tacoma – 1205 MLK Jr Way, Tacoma, WA 98405 

  • If you are South of King County and have bikes to donate, consider donating them to our friends at 2nd Cycle!

Sharing Wheels Everett – 2531 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201

  • If you are North of King County and have bikes to donate, consider donating them to our friends at Sharing Wheels!

 

BICYCLE DONATION RECEIPT

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What sorts of bikes and bike parts, etc. can I donate to Bike Works?
A. Bicycles of any quality and in any condition, bicycle parts of any variety, bike frames, and bike accessories or gear of any type. Completely covered in rust? Please consider it yard art or bring to your local transfer station for metal recycling. Donations of 10 or more bikes, please drop off at WAREHOUSE ONLY

    • Broken Electronics really slow down our processing. We have to remove the batteries of every item before we bring them to e-waste recycling (lights, cycle computers, etc.). If the item doesn’t turn on, we’d prefer not to receive it and have the owner dispose of it correctly. 
    • Tubes in full packaging are accepted, however, unboxed/unsealed tubes have a mysterious history that will plague the next user. We immediately recycle exposed tubes. 
    • Used Helmets cannot be reused or resold. Please try Goodwill or the garbage. Our garbage is full most weeks. Helmets have at 3-5 year lifespan, rated for one single impact, and made of non-recyclable materials. 
    • Used Chains, Cassettes, and Brake Pads are immediately recycled. We accept them new in packaging.
    • Used Tires do not sell well in our Bike Shop or Warehouse. We have to pay upwards of $1 per tire in order for it to be “disposed of” outside of a landfill. We will gladly recycle tires for folks with a $1 suggested donation per tire.
    • Used Clothes and Used Water Bottles do not sell well and often get re-donated. If they are in fantastic condition or new, we will make an exception. Imagine wrapping your mouth on someone else’s water bottle? Now imagine putting on a stranger’s donated bibs. The intimacy of of those two used items in particular make it tough to resell. 
    • Bags & Panniers are great as long as they are in working order. We do not have the capacity to repair or clean bags, otherwise, we re-donate them.
    • No Scooters or other (3) wheeled contraptions please.
    • Car Racks immediately get sold to our partners at Rack n’ Road. Please save us a trip and deliver your rack to them. We simply do not have the space for these racks and most donations are missing parts/keys.
    • Trainers do not sell well. We recommend bringing them to Goodwill for us. Since they are heavy and take up a lot of space, we often throw them into metal recycling. 
    • Locks are acceptable with keys. 

Q. Do we pick up donations?
A. Due to the high volume of donations and limited staff capacity, we may be able to pick up donations after payment of a $300 fee, to cover time and fuel costs. You can also check our calendar for Bike Drives in your area. Please send bike pickup inquiries to steveg@bikeworks.org. 

Q. Can I donate my E-Bike?
A. Donations accepted by appointment only and we reserve the right to refuse the donation. Lithium-ion battery disposal is SERIOUS, please call 206-257-5895 or email steveg@bikeworks.org for E-Bike donation approval. Safety of our staff and facilities are important, so we have shifted to only accept Bosch motor systems.

If your E-Bike cannot be processed by our team, we recommend you dispose of the battery at your nearest hazardous waste facility or battery recycler AND recycle the bike at the nearest facility that will take metal. An E-Bike donation caused a fire at the North Transfer Station (March 2025).

Q. Can I get a receipt for a tax deduction for my bike and bike parts, etc. donation?
A. Yes! After dropping off your donations at our location or with one of our partners, please fill in the donation form above this FAQ.

Q. How will the bike I donate be used?
A. That depends. Donated bikes may be used as teaching tools in our youth or adult programs and then donated through a partner organization to someone in need of a bike. Bikes may be made available for the youth in our Earn-A-Bike program to earn. And bikes may be refurbished by staff or volunteers and sold in our community bike shop, with the sales revenue generated in this way funding our programming.

Host a Bike Drive

Looking for a way to help Bike Works?  Does your child’s school, Girl or Boy Scout troop, or your faith community need a community service project?  We are always looking for individuals or organizations to host a Bike Works Bike Drive. Just like a clothing or food drive, a Bike Drive collects used bikes for use in Bike Works programs. Bring your used bicycle to Bike Works – and bring your neighbors, too!

DOWNLOAD THE BIKE DRIVE GUIDE