January 4, 2016 by Bruce Wynkoop
For the past several years I have been practicing what I call “litter-picking” on my bike rides. Let me give a little background:
Years ago, when I jogged or walked for exercise, it would bother me to run or walk past the same pieces of litter along the trailside or roadside day after day, so I started bringing a bag with me and picking up the bigger pieces of litter. I especially tried to get the recyclable litter and get it back to my recycling bin at home.
I have been into recycling for years; I hate to see something that could be re-used or re-purposed go into the trash. In fact, I like to say I was into recycling when recycling wasn’t cool. When I started you actually had to take the top and bottom off the tin cans, take the labels off, put the top and bottom pieces inside the can, and crush the can flat. You then had to take your recycling to a recycling center and drop it off. And every different kind of recycling went into a different bin–tin cans, aluminum cans, plastics, newspapers and cardboard all had separate bins. Nowadays, the recycling companies do everything but come into your kitchen to get the recycling. All my recycling now goes into one barrel, which I put out at the curb every other week. Styrofoam is an exception, I still have to take that to a special spot, but I just let it accumulate in my garage until I have enough of a load to take in. I don’t usually get that much so I only have to make a trip a year or so.
I try not to use plastic or paper bags when I shop, bringing a carrying box (to the grocery store), a fabric re-usable bag, or, in a pinch, just an old plastic bag (sometimes you get stuck taking one whether you want to or not). And it sort of irks me when I see people taking unnecessary bags. Honest, I once heard a checkout clerk at a Menards store ask the customer in front of me if he wanted a bag for the PACK OF GUM he had just purchased–yes, he took the bag!
Many times I don’t really need a bag and just carry the merchandise out of the store in my hands. This has led to some misunderstandings, however. Once, when leaving J. C. Penney’s with a pair of pants over my arm, I was stopped by security and asked to produce the receipt, which I did. I then apologized to the security man for not making it more evident that I had purchased the item. After that, I always hold the receipt in plain sight as I leave the store, and I never run out the door, no matter in how much of a hurry I am.
This is becoming more commonplace now but I remember once saying to a clerk in (again) J. C. Penney’s, “I’d just as soon not have the bag, thanks.” and have him answer that I had to take one and put the two shirts into a bag. I thanked him, then stood at the counter and slowly took the shirts and receipt out of the bag, put the bag on the counter, and walk out the door. If he had wanted to have security chase me down to make me take the bag I would have been happy to argue my case.
I try not to go too far, however, as there are times you really do need the bag. But when I do have to take a bag I make dang sure that it gets recycled or reused (and eventually recycled).
Okay, let’s get back to “litter-picking.” Several years back I purchased a grocery-carrier bag for my hybrid bike and attached it to the front rack (I have front and back racks for the times I go on overnight rides and have to bring things along). As I ride I watch for litter, especially recyclables, and stop, pick it up, and put it in the grocery carrier.
This, however, can add a lot of time to the ride and can cause you to stop and start too often. I now have to decide, when I decide to take a ride, whether I’m going to take a litter-ride or a regular ride. You can get good exercise on a litter-ride, but it is going to take you longer to cover the miles and it won’t be a put-your-head-down-and-ride-hard type of ride. Usually, once I’ve got a bagful of trash I stop “picking,” but often there are recycling and garbage bins along the route where I can dispose of the litter and make room again in the bag. You have to be careful, too, if you stop to pick up a piece of litter in the street–remember that traffic isn’t going to expect you to stop alongside the roadway.
Now, I know I’m not going to save the world or anything, but I like to think I’m making my neighborhood (or whatever countryside through which I’m riding) a little bit nicer for others. “Litter-picking” can be time-consuming and does not give the same level of exercise as a regular bike ride (depending on how you ride, of course) and isn’t for everyone. If you don’t want to stop and start along the way, at least consider picking up a piece of litter or two when it is convenient and getting it to a container of some sort. Be advised, however, “litter-picking” can become somewhat addictive. And, for heaven’s sake, please don’t ever be part of the problem by littering.