Curse of the plastic bottle

Tony__B

A few weeks ago I was riding round Swinley Forest and saw that a moron or morons unknown had seen fit to litter one of the trails with a collection of empty plastic bottles. I was on a sneaky lunchtime blast and didn’t really have time to stop. It was a couple of weeks before I was over there again and I was disappointed, but not surprised, to see the bottles still there. I took them home to my recycling bin.

Last week I was on the same trail and there were more plastic bottles strewn around. They’re now in the bin too.
It never ceases to astonish me that people who can ride half their route with a full drink bottle aren’t capable of riding the rest of it with an empty one. Now I appreciate that the kind of knuckle-dragging pond life that think it’s OK to throw their litter about aren’t capable of reading their own names, never mind looking at an internet forum, so there’s no point in moaning at them on here. But what’s wrong with the rest of you?

Am I the only one who finds empty plastic bottles unsightly? Would it really have been that big a deal for any of you that went past to have stopped and picked one or two up?

Litter is just one of the many things that the anti-MTB lobby can pick on to moan about. And don’t tell me that MTBers aren’t the only ones who throw litter around, because I’ll bet next month’s salary it wasn’t walkers showering an MTB trail with Powerade bottles.

Can I start a campaign, here and now, for everyone to stop occasionally and pick up a plastic bottle? They weigh bugger all and as you throw them in the bin, preferably a recycling one, you’ll have the feeling that you’ve done something positive and worthwhile.

omegas

I take my own rubbish home with me , I am not going to start picking up other peoples litter and carry that around with me.
The morons that litter everywhere are more than happy for you to go round picking it for them, somehow I dont think this is the answer.

cooldad

Always junk around Jump Gully and Babymaker where the kiddies hang out. Often next to the bin bags tied to the trees.
I blame the parents.

cooldad

And Wiggle of course.

sniper68

Tony__B wrote:

It never ceases to astonish me that people who can ride/Walk half their route with a full drink bottle aren’t capable of riding the rest of it with an empty one.

This,sadly,happens everywhere and is not just MTB related.Even on top of the high Peaks(where bikes wouldn't go)there are bottles/wrappers/skins strewn about.Some people are just idle.
One of my bug-bears is inner tubes just thrown into trees or hung on fence posts etc...why?
I've even seen a bag of dog-sh!t hung on a gate latch in the Peak District.Some half-wit actually took a bag with him/her to pick up their dogs waste and then hung it on a gate-latch :roll:

cooldad

Just your average common and garden scum.

Tony__B

ibbo68 wrote:

[I've even seen a bag of dog-sh!t hung on a gate latch in the Peak District.Some half-wit actually took a bag with him/her to pick up their dogs waste and then hung it on a gate-latch :roll:

OT I know, but this is all too common. The verges on the fire roads at Swinley are liberally strewn with bags full of it. There's even a sign at the LookOut asking dog owners not to use bags if they are just going to leave them. A topic for a different forum, maybe, but again anyone who is stupid enough to pick up their dog's muck in a bag and then throw the bag on the ground isn't going to be reading an internet forum.

Anonymous

Dog shit bags on trees do bug me, though at least they're not on the ground. See it often.

But general littering, not just with MTB or anything bike related, isn't just scummy kids. I see plenty of mature looking people in expensive cars driving round affluent areas just chucking bottles out the window. Really don't get what the problem is just keeping the bottle in the car and chuck it in the bin at your leisure. Maybe that's why the kids are so bad though.

Inner tubes thrown about are such a waste as they can be used for many things (aside from patching up and re-using).

cooldad

Just because they are mature in expensive cars doesn't mean they aren't common and garden scum.

MountainMonster

Here in Austria littering is frowned upon highly, things are kept clean. I've seen somebody on a trail once drop a energy gel pack accidently out his back pocket, and when he realised he dropped it, he cycled 15 minutes back up the trail searching for it until he found it, as he didn't want to leave trash laying around.

The UK is quite dirty compared to here, especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings in Cambridge. Unsightly to walk through town.

stubs

I take a plastic bag out with me on a ride and I pick up and carry to the next bin I see 2 items of litter every time. Even if its just a couple of gel wrappers or squashed bottles it weighs nothing and takes me a minute to pick up. I know its not much but maybe if everyone on this forum did the same we would soon clear the trails or at least make a start.

If we all started taking action maybe we can shame the scum who litter the trails and its no use blaming chavvy kids from the estate I have seen litter in places no scum even know exist (they are miles from the nearest Maccies) its riders like us with expensive bikes who are doing the littering.

2 items isnt much but its a start so get a plastic bag in your rucksack and make a start dont just whinge about it on forums.

Neal_

Stubs, your real name isn't Rob is it?

Clearly this is a problem everywhere which is hardly surprising since 95% of the worlds population are morons. The best you can do is pick up the rubbish you come across, even though you'll be in a very small minority of people doing this, and challenge/educate people you see dropping rubbish in the hope they engage their brain in future. It really does baffle me though that people who have made the effort to climb a mountain which in part is to appreciate the view will then leave a mess behind them.

.blitz

The bench at the top of Cannock's Lower Cliff used to be a great place for a break but now it's littered with plastic bottles, energy drink cans and cigarette ends.

A victim of its own popularity maybe but there is still litter off-piste. I mean some people make the effort to explore and discover these trails but for some reason think it's OK to drop a Fruit Shoot bottle on an otherwise pristine bit of singletrack.

t0pc4t

I hate seeing litter in Swinley, jump gully is bad but as Kenny says by far the worst is the dog mess bags hanging from the trees.

stubs

Neal_ wrote:

Stubs, your real name isn't Rob is it?

LOL no I am not Rob but in my opinion he is a star. Had a chat with him a while back and you couldnt hope to meet a nicer guy more at peace with the world.

Kaise

The other sunday i was riding in ashton court and a guy by the side of the trail having a break decided to throw his bottle in the bush and they set off, i was quite far from them but saw him do it. I stopped picked it up and as i emerged at the end of the trail the group was stood having a chat.

Stand "alright was shared between me and the group followed by me dropping said bottle on the floor in front of them and say "take your rubbish home lads its not hard is it" cue a barage of abuse from his mates, he wont be doing that again will he

What a d!ckhead

stubs

Nice one Kaise.

1mancity2

Loads of litter at Gisburn as well, we pick up what we can and dispose at home, I think its mostly left by the same riders that decide to have a break and leave their bikes on the trails or stand on top of jumps admiring the view as you come down a run, yes morons the lot of em......

Neal_

stubs wrote:

LOL no I am not Rob but in my opinion he is a star. Had a chat with him a while back and you couldnt hope to meet a nicer guy more at peace with the world.

He is indeed, would be an interesting guy to talk to.

grenw

Tony__B wrote:

ibbo68 wrote:

[I've even seen a bag of dog-sh!t hung on a gate latch in the Peak District.Some half-wit actually took a bag with him/her to pick up their dogs waste and then hung it on a gate-latch :roll:

OT I know, but this is all too common. The verges on the fire roads at Swinley are liberally strewn with bags full of it. There's even a sign at the LookOut asking dog owners not to use bags if they are just going to leave them. A topic for a different forum, maybe, but again anyone who is stupid enough to pick up their dog's muck in a bag and then throw the bag on the ground isn't going to be reading an internet forum.

It's the idiots that know they should clear up after their dog and do so in case anyone is watching. They can then surreptitiously drop the bag as they walk along - those bins are just so far away! See it all the time when around Deepcut etc.

alan_sherman

Good on the idea of taking other peoples litter home. I will do this in future because I dropped a bottle on the South Downs Way. It was accidental (lost from the cage and I never saw it go - so could have been anywhere) and impractical to go back and look for it. Si I plan to pick up other peoples litter to balance the karma (and hope someone else picks up that bottle I dropped).

Leaving litter on purpose is scum. Unknowingly littering is poor. Picking up litter is commendable - well done to you.

Ghostt

Littering is probably my biggest pet hate, to the point where I will pick it up and confront people I see littering, not just out riding but in the real world too (!) Although this nearly got me into a lot of trouble, as I told a group of people wearing 'community payback' hi vis jackets to pick their sh!t up when they were clearing a footpath near me...

Yet another thing the few respectable citizens of this country have to do to support the majority who couldn't care less