Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Rubbish

Ok I just wanted to canvas peoples opinions on the subject of....
rubbish / litter when out for a ride...

I'm lucky to live in rural Northamptonshire, great lanes etc around me which are frequently used by cyclists in groups as well as individuals.

Too the point....why do some think it's ok to discard their litter into our hedgerows?
Commuting to work (bike, naturally) came up behind a group of 5 chaps
and watched two reach into their back pockets consume a gel and a flapjack,
then chuck the wrappers into the hedge.....

I had to pass comment and asked them to pick it up.... got a stare and a finger!!

So does everyone else think its ok to cycle from town into the sticks and not take your litter home?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

14 comments

Avatar
pepita1 | 11 years ago
0 likes

does anyone know how long it takes for a banana peel to 'return to the earth' or an apple core? Imagine you have 10 cyclists who toss out a banana peel and apple core per cyclist...that's a lot of waste even if it is biodegradable. Better to take it all back home and dispose of properly.

I was taught to 'pack in what you pack out' regardless of a item's biodegradability.

Avatar
zzgavin | 11 years ago
0 likes

dumped inner tubes is the one that gets me cross, I see them all over essex lanes. I saw several on the rapha ride i did earlier in the year, not even an attempt to dispose of them usually, just dumped where they change the inner.
Should start clearing them I suppose =)

Avatar
notfastenough replied to zzgavin | 11 years ago
0 likes
zzgavin wrote:

dumped inner tubes is the one that gets me cross, I see them all over essex lanes. I saw several on the rapha ride i did earlier in the year, not even an attempt to dispose of them usually, just dumped where they change the inner.
Should start clearing them I suppose =)

Jeez. Litter is one thing, but surely that could be dangerous for an animal - would be easy for something to get tangled up/stuck in a tube. Heck, it's not even like they can offer the excuse of struggling to get it back in the pocket at x mph - they were stationary FFS!  14

Avatar
Marauder | 11 years ago
0 likes

I agree with everyone on this.

I was brought up and told that I needed to put my litter in a bin or wait until I found one. My kids follow this without question and they often point out others who aren't.

It always annoys me that people are so lazy that they can't be bothered to bin their litter especially when they are right next to one. Pure ignorance.

I think cyclists are no different here. If it is your rubbish then you need to wait until you find a bin before getting rid. End of.

Biodegradable fruit is an exception though. Good for the animals to have a little snack and good for the soils in the country lanes.

Avatar
russyparkin | 11 years ago
0 likes

gel wrappers sucked dry rolled up and back in the pocket, banana skins lobbed as far as possible into the fields. our club is super hot on no litter. so if you ride around plymouth/dartmoor there is very little litter  1

Avatar
CakeEatingMonster replied to russyparkin | 11 years ago
0 likes
russyparkin wrote:

gel wrappers sucked dry rolled up and back in the pocket, banana skins lobbed as far as possible into the fields. our club is super hot on no litter. so if you ride around plymouth/dartmoor there is very little litter  1

Nooooo!
Never put gel wrappers back in your pockets - they get everything else horrible and sticky... I always shove mine up the leg of my shorts until I see a convenient bin!

On the plus side, completely agree about Dartmoor. I can name some other local roads that aren't so great though...

Avatar
colhum1 | 11 years ago
0 likes

Well it appears from these few comments that littering is unacceptable  1
Even "old tractors" bio-degrade quicker than plastics  39

Avatar
ryewheeler | 11 years ago
0 likes

Totallu unacceptable. As for the finger - it just goes to show that there are those among us (cyclists) who are just as anti-social as the most offensive motorists. Not good as it creates resentment that in turn leads to dangerous behaviour towards cyclists.

Avatar
notfastenough replied to ryewheeler | 11 years ago
0 likes
ryewheeler wrote:

Totallu unacceptable. As for the finger - it just goes to show that there are those among us (cyclists) who are just as anti-social as the most offensive motorists. Not good as it creates resentment that in turn leads to dangerous behaviour towards cyclists.

As was discussed on the club run on Sunday, it's not that 'drivers are wankers' or 'cyclists are wankers'. Wankers are wankers, and they just happen to choose a mode of transport/sporting hobby!

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 11 years ago
0 likes

Yep, fruit waste like banana skins or apple cores may look unsightly but do biodegrade and put nutrients back into the surrounding eco-system. But dropping plastic items is not acceptable. It's not as if those plastic wrappers are heavy or take up any room and it's not difficult to keep one pocket for small items of rubbish like that.

Avatar
Psycling | 11 years ago
0 likes

Just not acceptable.

Avatar
andylul | 11 years ago
0 likes

I find it repulsive regardless of who is doing it, but especially those that skoosh and then hurl their gel packets. I rank it up there with smokers who stand by a bin outside the newsagents and drop their cellophane and silver paper on the ground as they light up.

It doesn't help that you see pro riders lobbing their Bidons during televised rides, but to be fair many of those are collected by fans as souvenirs.

You absolutely should never litter while riding (bio-degradable is an exception, but bear in mind, NIMBY country-folk don't like anything thrown in 'their' hedges or ditches, unless it's an old tractor...) - it came out with you, it should go home with you too.

Avatar
notfastenough | 11 years ago
0 likes

+1. Fruit waste is ok, but that's all. I always try and stop gasping for breath long enough to check out the wonderful views when I'm in the sticks, it's sad that some think it's ok to spoil it.

Avatar
jforbes004 | 11 years ago
0 likes

I have always regarded chucking banana skins into fields as OK but nothing non biodegradable...

Latest Comments