Anyone else picking up roadside trash?

[oliver1850]

I hate looking at it when riding, and it seems to be getting worse around here. I picked this much up in just 1/4 mile, had to go back with the truck to get it home. Only bonus was the full 30 pack of Keystone. I'll feed it to the neighbors, they like it. I also spent an hour picking up broken glass on the canal trail Thursday. Kids evidently think it's cute to break beer bottles on the path. Youtube links are for your trash-picking listening pleasure.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ChUvX8_cE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5iDgsP_oVI

[54ny77]

when you're a cyclist, you pick up on how fast how many people in the world are outright slobs.

i try to pick my fights carefully, but let's say i've tossed more than a few things back in car windows that just moments prior had left said car windows.

[TPetsch]

Seagulls drop their shells on the path to break them open. I kick those off the path before they break up into smaller pieces when I can.

[jtakeda]

If I see nails or screws I always pick them up.

Otherwise way too much trash in the streets for me to begin thinking about it.

[CunegoFan]

Seeing gel wrappers pisses me off. Cyclists should know better, so I will assume it is triathletes. :)

Then there are the banana skins that are dropped directly down on the road. W T F! Can't cyclists flick them off into the bushes where they can biodegrade without other cyclists seeing them.

[AngryScientist]

admittedly i dont pick them up, but i have been known to catch up to motorists at traffic lights and scream at them about throwing cigarette butts out the window.

it's one of the things that strikes me as so self-centered and non caring on so many levels when people roll the window down of their car and flick still-lit butts out the window. that one really bothers me.

[oliver1850]

Obviously a losing battle, as I got that much from a roadside that I walk several time a year. I see my HS English teacer and her husband picking up stuff in town, but seldom see anyone doing it out in the country, other than the very occasional aluminum can picker.

What do those of you who live in container deposit states think of the deposit programs?

[Seramount]

I've become pretty OCD about picking up recyclable cans and bottles when I'm on the bike. a lot of my routes go thru residential areas and there's usually a recycle bin within a block or two to toss em in...

but, it can be quasi-rewarding or a real nuisance, depending upon what my ride goals are...

I'll also pick up nails, screws, or other tire eaters.

[rugbysecondrow]

Warmer weather, cruising with friends, looking for girls, night time drinking and driving on country farm roads? Nothing else to do, but just wanting to be out. It was unfortunately a high school pastime of mine in my small town (2400 folks). Eventually we would find other likeminded friends and stop at some obscure intersection where there was no light but from our cars for miles around. The sort where you could see a car coming from a mile a way and know by the shape of the headlights not only if it was a cop but likely what sort of car it was and who it might be. Swap folks, maybe take a girl in my car somewhere else. Very much like that movie Dazed and Confused. It is easy to want to romanticize now, until I remember friends who died being similarly stupid.

Anyway, it was twisted 16 year old logic that the cans were of value, so throwing them out for others to find and redeem made sense. This was prior to a recycling container at every driveway and me actually growing up and learning a few things.

Anyway, it wasn't right, but it was stupid. Glad I didn't die, not all my friends were lucky. I would say you live and learn, but that ain't always the case, is it?

:beer:

[rugbysecondrow]

Warmer weather, cruising with friends, looking for girls, night time drinking and driving on country farm roads? Nothing else to do, but just wanting to be out. It was unfortunately a high school pastime of mine in my small town (2400 folks). Eventually we would find other likeminded friends and stop at some obscure intersection for a spell. Swap folks, maybe take a girl somewhere else. Very much like that movie Dazed and Confused. It is easy to want to romanticize now, until I realize friends who died being similarly stupid.

Anyway, it was twisted 16 year old boy logic that the cans were of value, so throwing them out for others to find and redeem made sense. This was prior to a recycling container at every driveway and me actually growing up and learning a few things.

Anyway, it wasn't right, but it was stupid. Glad I didn't die, not all my friends were lucky. I would say you live and learn, but that ain't always the case, is it?

:beer:

[merlinmurph]

Just this morning, my wife and I decided to pick up the trash on the 1/2 mile road leading to our home. There's only a few houses along it, and it gets a lot of stuff from kids drinking. FYI, Bud Light is the big beer for kids.
Also found:
- condom - funny place to chuck a condom. There's no place to hang out here.
- a bunch of full beer cans. Man, when we were kids, we never threw beer away.
- a silver plate with an engraved initial.
Total haul - about 7-8 bags of trash.

Got out for a quick ride on the 'cross bike after.

Enjoy your ride,
Murph

[firerescuefin]

Our club/team sponsors a 3 mile stretch of road we ride frequently. We walk it and collect trash one a quarter.

[AgilisMerlin]

It's odd when I come across needles, usually on the bridge

[572cv]

Vermont has a state wide trash pick up day. Gov. Dean Davis started it in the early 1970's and it has been an annual event ever since. Plastic Bags are issued by the towns and cities, there is some organization to try to make sure there is as much coverage as possible, and everyone goes out on the first Saturday in May and picks up roadside trash. Really. It has a huge effect. The bags are left by the side of the road, and the town road crew or designated team picks the bags in their dump trucks, no charge. The roads look great for quite a while, lots of people are more aware of their surroundings. It's a big win all the way around. Our success in this effort would work equally well in many states.

[biker72]

if i see nails or screws i always pick them up.

Otherwise way too much trash in the streets for me to begin thinking about it.

+1

[oliver1850]

Our club/team sponsors a 3 mile stretch of road we ride frequently. We walk it and collect trash one a quarter.

I suggested that the local club do this on the weekly TT route (5 mile out and back), but nothing came of it. I know the people that live on the route are sometimes annoyed by the riders and thought it was a good way to do some good that might be appreciated. Good to know that your club is active enough to get out and clean up.

[Peter P.]

I pick up trash every week on the trails of my city's largest park. It's part of a program started by the Conservation Commission called Adopt A Park. The park is 1500+ acres. I'm the only volunteer for this park. I also maintain the trails so sometimes I bring a bow saw, lopping shears, or my chainsaw.

It's a long story, but its genesis has to do with my mountain biking in the park, so it's bike related.

I've been collecting trash for 6 years, maintaining the trails for 15 years. A typical session lasts 2 1/2 hours. I don't cover all the trails every week, but mix my routes up. I then send an e-mail report to various city officials including the mayor, city manager, director of the parks department, several city councilors, and the police department.

Sometimes I get a hair across my butt and walk a road in the park which is popular with walkers more than hikers. It sees more traffic hence more litter. Oftentimes I collect more than one bag and leave them in conspicuous locations for the city crews to pick up. The amount of trash varies with the season.

My report always includes at least one photo of the garbage I've collected, to let them know I'm doing my job. By my estimates, I've collected over 500 bags of trash so far.

So yeah, I have a particular disdain when I see trash on the side of the road when I ride. It makes me twitch.

[GregL]

I suggested that the local club do this on the weekly TT route (5 mile out and back), but nothing came of it. I know the people that live on the route are sometimes annoyed by the riders and thought it was a good way to do some good that might be appreciated. Good to know that your club is active enough to get out and clean up.
Keep working to get your club involved. My local club holds an Earth Day cleanup every spring. We have "adopted" our TT course. It's a win-win on many levels. The roadside gets cleaned up, the residents actually have something positive to say about cyclists, and the club gets favorable news coverage. The county executive has even shown up with news reporters in tow.

Greg

[TimD]

Especially plastic, just to keep it out of the river nearby.