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100 Recycled Bicycles = 1 Weird Christmas Tree

Updated: 2 days 23 hours ago
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Ed Mazza

Ed Mazza Contributor

(Nov. 27) -- Most Christmas trees are already green, but this environmentally friendly holiday display in Sydney takes the concept to a new level: It's made of bicycles that were destined for the recycling yard.

The bicycle tree, dubbed the "Tree-Cycle," is made of 100 old bikes donated by a local recycling company. The bike frames were spray-painted tree green, while the tires were given a multi-colored makeover to make them look like holiday lights.

And if you thought you spent a lot of time putting up your tree, consider this: It took eight weeks to build the 23-foot-tall Tree-Cycle, which is on display at The Rocks, one of the city's prime tourist and shopping districts.

Even the "star" at the top of the tree is made of bicycle parts -- look closely, and you'll see it's really just a series of front forks and tires sticking out in each direction.

It's at least the third year in a row that the Rocks has featured a tree made of recycled or recyclable objects.

Last year's Christmas centerpiece was made of bottles, while the 2008 effort was a tree-shaped pile of chairs.

Like any truly green project, this one will be transformed yet again. After the holiday season, the recycling company will take the bike parts back ... and turn them into whatever bike parts can be turned into.

It's not the only unique and sustainable tree on display this year. It's not even the only one with wheels.

California features at least two "trees" made of shopping carts: One in Santa Monica, and one in Emeryville, in the Bay Area. The same artist, Anthony Schmitt, designed both.

The 33-foot-tall in Emeryville is made of 84 shopping carts, according to KGO.

It will be lit on Dec. 2.

And in Stratford, Conn., work is under way on a tree made of discarded home oil talks and other industrial products, according to CTPost.com.

"We took oil drums and flattened them with a large excavator," artist Christopher Curnan explained to the newspaper, saying those parts were turned into stylized branches. "It's turning something industrial into artwork."
Filed under: World, Weird News, Religion
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