Struggling to understand why some folk litter the trails ..

Wallace1492

yeehaamcgee wrote:

You sure? I'm sure losing that many pairs of Oakleys counts as public service to whoever finds them

I dropped a pair of M Frames doing the Trossachs Ton last year. Despite asking about, they were not recovered, assumed that some felloe cyclist had "found" them..... 6 weeks later got a call from the organisers... they were handed in but put at the bottom of a shoe box and had only just turned up. Was chuffed to bits....

As for Dog Poo are the bags not meant to be bio degradable? means they rot away out of the way rather than on the middle of the track/path?

MattJWL

As for Dog Poo are the bags not meant to be bio degradable? means they rot away out of the way rather than on the middle of the track/path?

Generally not. And it really really p1sses me off - it still squelches.

On the plus side, since moving to switzerland I don't have to worry about it too much.


Jon - I take your point, but in the end a dropped lager can/cider bottle/mars bar wrapper is just as bad.

It's just that we assume that the people that go out to use those are going to act stupidly anyway (not that I have anything against Mars bars, cider or lager), and that we feel that because the people using energy gels, drinks etc are doing the same sport (nearly) as us, that they should behave in a similar, responsable manner. Sadly, it doesn't work like that...

The Northern Monkey

Wallace1492 wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I have to say, I will happily throw away banana skins or orange peel. They degrade naturally.

They do sometimes..... However at the top of a lot of Scottish munro's, as the temperature does not get too high they can literally take years to degrade. Also some of the area's are sites of Special Scientific Interest and the depositing of banana/orange has had a negative impact on the local soil, enriching it with nutriants that it would not normally have and allowing invasive species to appear.

Now I know most riders will not be in these sort of places, but don't leave it for someone else to slip on!

You forget that animals... ants for instance.... will also eat rotting food.

MattJWL

The Northern Monkey wrote:

You forget that animals... ants for instance.... will also eat rotting food.

True, but you don't get many Ants on top of Monroes, which I think he was talking about.

Welsh_Tom

top of the bh at cwm there is loads of water bottes, top of the xc is loads of power bar warpers and stuff like that, seen my first iner tub yest, was going to fast to pick it up

Briggo

You know what annoys me even more, is the people who say they hate litterers but then drop their fag butts on the floor with their next breath.

Anonymous

At least fag butts are just cotton and paper.

cooldad

I take mine home. Bit smelly on the pocket but...
I ride with a school group on Saturdays (as a responsible adult haha). Half way round the teacher hands out sweets.
Initially some wrappers would end up on the ground.
After some ranting lectures and threats of GBH or even death, it doesn't happen anymore. Even if some brat drops one, one of the other kids will pick it up before I start on them.

Did I mention the kids hate me?

kaytronika

Litterers should be lined up along the cliffs and kicked in to the sea

(then retrieved and recycled)

stubs

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a white van dumping a load of rubbish on a bridleway. There was 3 of them and I suffer from being a coward so I said nothing just memorised the van reg and hit my waypoint button on my gps as I went past. I phoned the police thinking they wont catch them in the act but might stop them later. Police said not our problem ring the council. Pardon so someone breaking the law isnt the polices problem, I didnt expect them to launch the helicopter but I did expect them to express some interest.

Rang the council who said ring the Police :?

Rubbish is still there.

Personally I would feed litter louts into a woodchipper then at least they will make some nice compost for my Rhubarb.

Bikehawk

Once found an old inner tube tied in a bow about 10 feet up a tree :shock: . Couldn't understand how anyone involved in an outdoor sport could do that :x . Chucked it in the bin back the trail head. Personally always liked a motto I heard whilst caving many years ago "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs" in otherwords don't ruin it for the next person. 8)

Anonymous

Bikehawk wrote:

Once found an old inner tube tied in a bow about 10 feet up a tree :shock:

Sometimes (especially that high off the ground and neatly tied) people use things like that to mark a hidden or secret trail entrance.

Thewaylander

stubs wrote:

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a white van dumping a load of rubbish on a bridleway. There was 3 of them and I suffer from being a coward so I said nothing just memorised the van reg and hit my waypoint button on my gps as I went past. I phoned the police thinking they wont catch them in the act but might stop them later. Police said not our problem ring the council. Pardon so someone breaking the law isnt the polices problem, I didnt expect them to launch the helicopter but I did expect them to express some interest.

Rang the council who said ring the Police :?

Rubbish is still there.

Personally I would feed litter louts into a woodchipper then at least they will make some nice compost for my Rhubarb.

Sounds like typical police or council, pass the buck. And the police well there not gonna do anything on it, they got drivers to pressurise and take money from

At this point i'd have written a letter of complaint to both.

wordnumb

stubs wrote:

Personally I would feed litter louts into a woodchipper then at least they will make some nice compost for my Rhubarb.

Heh, last week my post detailing what I'ma gonna do to the next person I see littering a ride was deleted immediately. Still gonna do it though, grit and all.

Rocketmagnet

Trail centres attract people who arn't proper mountain bikers and dont know any better.
Seems to be if a trail centre is near a large population centre then the people who
live there are used to cleaners tidying up after them i'd guess.

Then again maybe they do know but just dont care and are just $%^&^.

Hands up how many here end up stopping to help someone without even the
kit to fix a puncture... its this lack of knowledge that makes you realise they
wouldnt think twice about dropping litter.. they see trail centres as a theme
park ride imo.

I usually crack on with them giving them tips on what they really should
be carrying with you...

Darra8

Rocketmagnet wrote:

Trail centres attract people who arn't proper mountain bikers and dont know any better.
Seems to be if a trail centre is near a large population centre then the people who
live there are used to cleaners tidying up after them i'd guess.

Then again maybe they do know but just dont care and are just $%^&^.

I would agree with you there. I have been to Llandegla a few times now, and frankly I think it's a bit of a sh!it hole, and the bogs always stink of pish! In contrast, I go to CYB quite a bit too, and you hardly ever see any rubbish on the trails and the bogs are nice and clean!! To be fair, Llandegla will have far more people riding there, but it's more the city types that will be there, that don't even think twice about dropping their litter....

airbusboy

It simply annoys me how people can be so inconsiderate. Are people unable to carry the used gel wrapper, energy bar wrapper, inner tube, electrical tape (etc etc etc) down the hill and bin it later...it's not that heavy and most riders carried it to the top of the hill anyway...

There is simply no excuse for littering, it destroys the countryside from which we take so much enjoyment from.

GhallTN6

I just don't get it, I used to get a clip round the ear when I was a kid for littering, and I'll jump on my kids if they do it, littering for me is as bad as sh*tting in someone's living room.. no excuses, and as for people (becuase I've seen adults do this as well), throwing McD's stuff out of the window on the motorway.. well it should be a months driving ban!

Darra8

Now I've started thinking about it, and this is not at trail centres, is filthy b@stard dog owners who let their dogs sh!t wherever they want and just leave it there. This of course can effect walkers and cyclist, and is the worst form of littering that exists, in my mind. Just thinking about it make my blood boil :evil: Forget looking for the best line through a rock garden, oh no, trying to negotiate my way along a bit of local canal path without getting covered in dog sh!t is much harder!!! These people really are the scum of the earth and are thicker than dog sh!it, because these paths are the ones they walk their dogs along regularly, so they must fall foul of their own disgusting littering. The next time I see one of these idiots letting their beloved pet dump it's load and just walk away, I will follow them home and do the biggest, filthiest crap I can muster on their lawn, to see how they like it!!!!

Rant over, I'd better get back to work now :oops:

Thewaylander

Dog poop is annoying, but least its relatiely natural product and will degrade. But the plastics kicking around are worst, they will never break down, will always be there, when the human race ceases to be, our mark in the term litter will be around for us all to see

Darra8

I would rather ride over a gel wrapper than a dog sh!t any day though

Anonymous

Darra8 wrote:

I go to CYB quite a bit too, and you hardly ever see any rubbish on the trails and the bogs are nice and clean!! To be fair, Llandegla will have far more people riding there,

Pretty sure CYB has more riders than Llandegla. Possibly even several times more riders.

TheNorthernTrain

I accidentally dropped a wrapper, think it was at Gisburn, i chased it about 20 metres down the fireroad just to take it home with me! It really isn't much effort yet no matter where you go it happens.

I was exploring a new route near my house the other day and would quite happily suggest that all the litter there was down to walkers... not that I was cycling on footpaths or anything, but that's a different argument.

riddle

Swinley looks like a gypsy camp at the moment.

pots74

Perhaps they come from the same breeding stock as the one's smashing up town centres at present? :roll: Knobs :x