Cyclists and littering

[ufkacbln]

Tsk! I always drop my used syringes in the yellow bins provided.

My wife was an Clexane after a fall, so I collected the pre-filled syringes.... and asked for a Sharps Bin for disposal.

The Pharmacist looked me straight in the eye and in the middle of a busy Chemists said in a loud voice...

"You need to contact the needle exchange for that, Sir!"

So now have the queue including one of our neighbours thinks I have a drug problem!

 

[Dave Davenport]

90% of the roadside litter I see is McDonalds, KFC etc.

 

[Globalti]

....and really annoyingly, when I stop and go through the wrappers they are almost always EMPTY!

 

[MrJamie]

I've seen gels left in the streets here after large running events. They usually have volunteers who collect the litter near the water stations, so it's normal to grab a bottle swig and chuck it, or carry it on to the next water station, but you do get people randomly littering without any common sense to consequences. I'm not easily riled by others' behaviour, but I recall getting rather annoyed on a run seeing a guy purposefully throw a bottle into the river. If he'd just dropped it it would have been picked up by volunteers later.

I always keep a carrier bag in my saddlebag incase I need to carry any messy rubbish home, I'll discard fruit and unwanted food if there is ever such a thing. I tend never to use gels either because theyre so messy, jelly sweets are much easier.

 

[Globalti]

Riding the Cape Argus in South Africa can be interesting; there are gangs of blokes who go out cracking whips and firing pistols to try to fighten away the baboons because baboons dash out to grab bananas from riders' pockets or discarded gel sachets and cause bike pileups then go completely, er, ape, because they're not accustomed to such energy-dense food.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Now there's a job I never knew existed!

 

[Glow worm]

Once a month or so the litter levels on a lane near me get so bad I can't stand it any longer so I'll go along and pick it up- last time I filled two massive bin liners. It's mostly fast food wrappers, bottles and cans but also some weird stuff including a pile of rather unsavoury latex gloves and a dead rabbit tightly wrapped in a plastic bag
I get really pished off with it tbh and often wonder why people are so f*****g filthy!

 

[doctornige]

Carry a plastic freezer bag for empty gels. Walkers manage it. So can we. I have eaten a mars bar with one hand while belaying a partner on a grade IV ice route 3000ft up a frozen cliff in Scotland and not felt the need to toss the wrapper. Please don't litter your own environment.

 

[fullcycle]

Part of the beauty of getting out cycling is being able to enjoy the countryside which is a privellage so why anyone would want to litter is beyond me. I can say though the local Warwickshire countryside on the edge of Birmingham does get used by a lot of cyclists but there doesn't seem to be any sign of cycle related litter

 

[coffeejo]

The litter I saw on Exmoor on Sunday was disgusting.

 

[sidevalve]

The number of Apple and pear cores chucked out is amazing. However they do return to nature [if they're allowed] check out the trees next time you're driving or being driven along a motorway [OK this isn't cyclists but it shows what can be achieved with care] in autumn and you can spot literally dozens of fruit trees. Pity we don't really have the weather for bannanas, now that would be something to see.

 

[gbb]

I often see discarded inner tubes along the roadside, obviously from cyclists who don't repair punctures and don't care about litter. If I can stop I pick them up to repair and use myself.

Tightwad .... but i like your style I'd do the same if i were lucky enough to see one.

 

[gbb]

The number of Apple and pear cores chucked out is amazing. However they do return to nature [if they're allowed] check out the trees next time you're driving or being driven along a motorway [OK this isn't cyclists but it shows what can be achieved with care] in autumn and you can spot literally dozens of fruit trees. Pity we don't really have the weather for bannanas, now that would be something to see.

I'd give that multiple 'likes' if i could. Almost a tea/keyboard moment.

 

[Globalti]

The number of Apple and pear cores chucked out is amazing. However they do return to nature [if they're allowed] check out the trees next time you're driving or being driven along a motorway [OK this isn't cyclists but it shows what can be achieved with care] in autumn and you can spot literally dozens of fruit trees. Pity we don't really have the weather for bannanas, now that would be something to see.

Yebbut then we'd get banana SKIN trees, which wouldn't be much use 'cos there'd be no bananas inside them, right?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

... now, every man (and woman) and their dog are cycling.

You know, I didn't believe you, but then I Googled, and now have to admit you're right:

Seriously, though, regarding the OP's comment about cyclists getting a bad name for littering: I think this is just a symptom of all cyclists being tarred with the same brush when a minority of them do something wrong, e.g. break a road law, behave like an idiot, or litter. Do we assume that all motorists litter because some of them do? Or make the same generalisation for pedestrians? The reason people make such generalisations for cyclists is that we're still a minority group, and its human nature, unfortunately, to pick on minority groups. So my response to anyone complaining about a cyclist littering (or doing anything else wrong) is to ask them what relevance their mode of transport has to the offending behaviour.