2wheelsgood
Well-Known Member
Apologies if this has already been discussed ad infinitum on this forum but I'm new so I wondered what people thought about litter...
I'm lucky enough to live in a very nice part of south east England and do most of my cycling around quiet and relatively remote country lanes. I'm finding an increasing amount of litter in these lanes - plastic drinks bottles, crisp packets, beer and soft drinks cans, plastic sandwich cartons, burger cartons, plastic bags of all shapes and sizes...
Many appear to have been hurled from moving vehicles - indeed, I've seen people do it. Some have obviously been dumped by walkers. Others have been left behind by people having picnics - I find it particularly baffling that people would take the trouble to make a picnic and drive to a beauty spot and then leave behind all their crap. I'm also puzzled by the empty water bottles. There's something curiously incongruous in being sufficiently health-conscious to buy a bottle of Evian instead of Tartrazinozade, but in being sufficiently ignorant to chuck said bottle over a hedge once it's empty.
Often I stop to pick this stuff up. Indeed, I've started taking with me empty carrier bags for this express purpose. Sure, it spoils my ride but nobody else seems to bother and it annoys me. In fact, it's almost become obsessive-compulsive and I now find it difficult to ignore litter and ride past it.
So, do others here have similar experiences? What are the worst areas of the country for litter? What, if anything, can we do about it?
I'm lucky enough to live in a very nice part of south east England and do most of my cycling around quiet and relatively remote country lanes. I'm finding an increasing amount of litter in these lanes - plastic drinks bottles, crisp packets, beer and soft drinks cans, plastic sandwich cartons, burger cartons, plastic bags of all shapes and sizes...
Many appear to have been hurled from moving vehicles - indeed, I've seen people do it. Some have obviously been dumped by walkers. Others have been left behind by people having picnics - I find it particularly baffling that people would take the trouble to make a picnic and drive to a beauty spot and then leave behind all their crap. I'm also puzzled by the empty water bottles. There's something curiously incongruous in being sufficiently health-conscious to buy a bottle of Evian instead of Tartrazinozade, but in being sufficiently ignorant to chuck said bottle over a hedge once it's empty.
Often I stop to pick this stuff up. Indeed, I've started taking with me empty carrier bags for this express purpose. Sure, it spoils my ride but nobody else seems to bother and it annoys me. In fact, it's almost become obsessive-compulsive and I now find it difficult to ignore litter and ride past it.
So, do others here have similar experiences? What are the worst areas of the country for litter? What, if anything, can we do about it?
