Bicycling recycling in China Ryoukan, a non-governmental organization in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Japan has just launched a free bicycle rental service at the start of the month for people needing a bike for a short time. Asia Intelligence Wire reports that the bicycles used in the service--called Charippa--are recycled ones that were abandoned at JR stations and other places. Charippa is a made-up word combining "charinko"--one way to describe bicycle in Japanese--and slipper. The organizers hope that people would use the bicycles as freely as they would slide into a pair of slippers. Eight bicycles each are stationed in stands in front of the Ryoukan office, JR Kita-sanjo Station, Maruyoshi Book Store, JR Sanjo Station and Ichinokido shopping district. Ryoukan will soon add a bike stand in front of JR Higashi-sanjo Station. After use, a bike can be returned to any stand. The number of abandoned bicycles in the city has been increasing, with about 600 expected to turn up this year--200 more than the figure three years ago. Ryoukan, a recycling group established in October 2000, came up with the idea of reusing abandoned bicycles that otherwise would be scrapped. After collecting dumped bicycles from around the city, Ryoukan commissioned bicycle workshops to repair them. The NGO received 2 million yen in assistance from the Earth Environment Corporation, an affiliate of the Environment Ministry