We cyclists need to clean up

David_Durham said:

On a training ride well out into the countryside today, I got very annoyed by the number of Propel bottles on the side of the road. Yes, the beer cans outnumbered the Propel bottles. But, the number of Propel bottles on the roadside was impressive and they almost certainly came from cyclists. It sure did disappoint me and they weren't there because of some recent race. Shouldn't we be putting stuff in garbage cans or bringing back what we take out?

I take 2 bottles, i try my hardest not to litter, and agree with the keep britain tidy campaign, i think we have enough rubbish and landfil sites here in the UK without turning the countryside and roads into the resemblance of them.

David_Durham said:

Shouldn't we be putting stuff in garbage cans or bringing back what we take out?

Yes. No excuses. I take two bottles and bring them both back. If I change a flat, the dead tube goes into my jersey pocket.

Biodegradeables such as banana peels I have no problem with tossing aside. They break down quickly and are food for some sort of creeping thing...

not many cyclist i ride with take propel bottles. and i have never thrown a bottle away. i've lost a couple in the woods. along with a bike computer and saddlebag.

cheapie said:

not many cyclist i ride with take propel bottles. and i have never thrown a bottle away. i've lost a couple in the woods. along with a bike computer and saddlebag.

i wouldn't toss a water bottle away anyway, they cost money! where are these bottles maybe i could come and collect a few and put them on ebay for some extra cash 😄

David_Durham said:

On a training ride well out into the countryside today, I got very annoyed by the number of Propel bottles on the side of the road. Yes, the beer cans outnumbered the Propel bottles. But, the number of Propel bottles on the roadside was impressive and they almost certainly came from cyclists. It sure did disappoint me and they weren't there because of some recent race. Shouldn't we be putting stuff in garbage cans or bringing back what we take out?

The only thing i throw in the tall grass/woods on the side of the road is a banana peel.
Bar wrappers I put in my pocket and I reuse my water bottles because that's what they are meant for.

I am amazed at how many broken glass bottles are in the shoulder of the road. Is it really neccessary for people to chuck their beer bottles out the window? How about throwing them a little harder so they clear the road and go into the woods so I don't run over the broken glass?

velomanct said:

The only thing i throw in the tall grass/woods on the side of the road is a banana peel.
Bar wrappers I put in my pocket and I reuse my water bottles because that's what they are meant for.

I am amazed at how many broken glass bottles are in the shoulder of the road. Is it really neccessary for people to chuck their beer bottles out the window? How about throwing them a little harder so they clear the road and go into the woods so I don't run over the broken glass?

throw them a little harder into the woods, thats just as bad, hows about we gather them all up and drop them off at your home and in our garden vel.

But, truthfully why on earth can people not find a bin or if they are throwing them out of the car windows, keep them in the car until they find a bin or arrive home. its bad enough collecting punctures from potholes and things without blowouts from glass also. where are you vel??? where do you ride

closesupport said:

throw them a little harder into the woods, thats just as bad, hows about we gather them all up and drop them off at your home and in our garden vel.

But, truthfully why on earth can people not find a bin or if they are throwing them out of the car windows, keep them in the car until they find a bin or arrive home. its bad enough collecting punctures from potholes and things without blowouts from glass also. where are you vel??? where do you ride

Of course the people should not throw bottles out the window, but if they do, they should at least throw them far enough to clear the road.

I ride/live in New England - central Connecticut

I don't even throw away the tabs from my gel packs. Don't mess with Texas don't ya know. 😉

closesupport said:

But, truthfully why on earth can people not find a bin or if they are throwing them out of the car windows, keep them in the car until they find a bin or arrive home.

I guess is that it's the open container laws that encourage bottle tossing. Here in the US having an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage in your car is illegal in most places. Even empty bottles are illegal, so out the window they go.

steve_wmn said:

I guess is that it's the open container laws that encourage bottle tossing. Here in the US having an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage in your car is illegal in most places. Even empty bottles are illegal, so out the window they go.

Another reason is many of the "throwers" are under-age drinkers, under the age of 21 in the US. They illegally get their booze, then illegally drink it, also illegally in the car, then they illegally litter out the window so there will not be booze in their parents' cars.

closesupport said:

i wouldn't toss a water bottle away anyway, they cost money! where are these bottles maybe i could come and collect a few and put them on ebay for some extra cash 😄

Propel and Gatorade and other liquids can be bought in single use recyclable plastic bottles that fit almost perfectly into a drink cage on your bike (I didn't consider that European readers of the Forum might not have these?). The poll is going about like I thought it would, with those that throw bottles on the ground not fessing up. My hope is that they know that the majority of us who don't are watching. Whatever the case, the glass and cans on the side of the road are a distraction and dangerous.

I've never understood throwing a bottle unless it's a race where someone will be along to get it. Be it a disposable(ha!) or a proper water bottle it came from somewhere. It's not like we hold them in our teeth or ride one-handed til we get thirsty, drink it down and chunk it. Back in the cage or back in the pocket!

Banana peels and apple cores, yes. Water bottles, no way. It's tacky and shows poor breeding.

Don't mention water bottles and e-bay.
Did you see the jerk who tried to grab Robbie Mcewan's water bottle while he was still riding? The idea was to sell the said bottle on e-bay. The act of rushing forward and grabbing the bottle caused the rider to come off his bike. Robbie then grabbed the water-bottle back and called the fan an "[censored]" in French. Then he used other nasty names in English. Finally he gave the bottle to someone else in the crowd to spite the former souvenir-hunter.
Where do they find these idiots, though? Why didn't the fan just grab any old water bottle and sell it as Robbie Mcewan's on e-bay? Who would possibly be able to prove the authenticity of a water bottle?

closesupport said:

i wouldn't toss a water bottle away anyway, they cost money! where are these bottles maybe i could come and collect a few and put them on ebay for some extra cash 😄

dallasbikr said:

Biodegradeables such as banana peels I have no problem with tossing aside. They break down quickly and are food for some sort of creeping thing...

This can be a problem. Quite often wildlife in the form of small mammals or racoons view your discarded banana peel as a meal. This leads to increased road kill. This can also include birds of prey such as hawks and eagles that are attracted to the little critters on the side of the road. I'm not saying I'm innocent of doing this to, but it's just something else to think about. I was totally un-aware until I spoke with a wildlife rehab vet.

Lonnie Utah said:

This can be a problem. Quite often wildlife in the form of small mammals or racoons view your discarded banana peel as a meal. This leads to increased road kill. This can also include birds of prey such as hawks and eagles that are attracted to the little critters on the side of the road. I'm not saying I'm innocent of doing this to, but it's just something else to think about. I was totally un-aware until I spoke with a wildlife rehab vet.

well, since i take just 2 bottle of carbo sport, and i don't take food on longer rides, plus i choose to try and carbo load days upto my longer rides. this does coun't me out,

Speaking of roadkill! i know what you mean about roadkill, just the other week i was riding along and left covered with the feathers of a pheasant, surprisingly, these feathers helped me ride faster for a longer period of time, ' contenplating wearing a few feathers on future bike rides, since i was litterally flying and i only had 5 or 6, maybe next time i'll try a few more.

I won't toss bottles. I actually only have two, so it would cost me a bit of $$$ to just chunk them. If I have a banana peel, I will toss it as far off the road as I can get it so anything that wants to eat it (hopefully) won't get hit. I was out on an adventure race traing day with my wife and her team mates once when one of them (not my wife) broke his chain. He decided to continue, running with the bike and just hopping on for the downhills. After deciding this, he pitches the chain off the trail and takes off. My wife and I look at each other dumbfounded how someone could do this. I picked it up and packed it out and haven't ridden with them since.

I generally don't toss anything. I have on occasion tossed used Kleenex thoough. But other than that it all goes into my pocket to be thrown out when I get home.

BTW closesupport were are you located in CT. I live in windsor.

I never throw anything off while training (but not because I`m avaricious🙂) except banana peels!
But I know some who are doing it all the time! Not the bottles, but bar or gel packages and I`m very dissapointed when I see that! How will it be if all will do that??