Living Car Free - Recycling Roadside Rubbish

How 'bout that alliteration!

Many of the streets and bike paths in my area are littered with unsightly rubbish, especially beverage containers, in spite of the army of dustmen the city sends around to tidy things up. So, in an effort to "do my bit" to help keep things clean, I've been trying to pick up as much of it as I can. I make a special effort to get as many aluminum cans, plastic bottles and plastic shopping bags as I can because they are so harmful to the environment. It's not that much of an effort to stop and put them onto one of my racks and then pop them into one of the many recycling bins that are to found around town.

Does anyone else do this? I wonder how many bicycles could be made with the recycled materials one picks up in a year.

i dont do cleanup but in west philadelphia i see people on bikes cleaning up the streets early sunday morning. does anyone know more about this?

I spent the early morning clearing a stretch of sidewalk in my neighborhood that had become impassable due to tall weeds and brush growing on both sides.

I didn't bother to get anyone's permission to clear the sidewalk. A couple hundred people saw me doing it including several police cruisers. If anyone even noticed, they probably thought I was doing court ordered public service or something, ha.

For weeds that are beyond what you can handle with a lawn mower or string trimmer may I recommend the Lehman's bow-knife weed cutter. Here's the picture from their catalog:

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/pndslr/bowknife.jpg

I spent the early morning clearing a stretch of sidewalk in my neighborhood that had become impassable due to tall weeds and brush growing on both sides.

I didn't bother to get anyone's permission to clear the sidewalk. A couple hundred people saw me doing it including several police cruisers. If anyone even noticed, they probably thought I was doing court ordered public service or something, ha.

For weeds that are beyond what you can handle with a lawn mower or string trimmer may I recommend the Lehman's bow-knife weed cutter. Here's the picture from their catalog:

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/pndslr/bowknife.jpg

I wonder if that weed cutter could have gotten you arrested on a sidewalk.:rolleyes:

For my part I generally only stop to gently kick broken glass to the ditch from a bike path or lane. I never do it on a street (be there all day...) and I never carry anything to pick trash up. Does anyone?

I wonder if that weed cutter could have gotten you arrested on a sidewalk.:rolleyes:
If you're worried about that, lay a rake on the sidewalk.

That bow knife would make a heck of a weapon, though. Machete on a stick.

I dont do cleanup but in west philadelphia i see people on bikes cleaning up the streets early sunday morning. does anyone know more about this?

I think they're actually taking junk to the scrap metal dealer because they get money for it.

I once emailed city officials with the idea of promoting individuals to pick-up and dispose of a single piece of street litter every day. The amount of human effort is almost nil, since nearly everyone at some point in their day to day travels, will find a piece of litter right at their feet. What's it take for an individual to bend down and pick it up just once a day, even if one has to carry it a bit to dispose it it?

Just think, if a city could convince even 25% of their population to do this, I bet that city would be spotless in no time.

I never got any replies back on this suggestion:crash:.

I once emailed city officials with the idea of promoting individuals to pick-up and dispose of a single piece of street litter every day. The amount of human effort is almost nil, since nearly everyone at some point in their day to day travels, will find a piece of litter right at their feet. What's it take for an individual to bend down and pick it up, even if one has to carry it a bit to dispose it it?

Just think, if a city could convince even 25% of their population to do this, I bet that city would be spotless in no time.

I never got any replies back on this suggestion:crash:.
You forgot about the other 75% of the people. How do you think all that rubbish and litter gets in the street?

I don't think that 75% of the people are littering - maybe 10%?

So here's the math: In a city of 1 million people, with say an equal amount of pieces of litter, the 25% of the population willing to pick-up would clean the existing deprise in 4 days.

Now if 10% of the population litters 1 or even 2 pieces each day, then it will take an extra day to clean up the new littler but after that the litterer's would be outnumbered and city would be clean.

These numbers are of course speculative but just to get the idea.

Hi Leo,

I appreciate the sentiment of your idea but I wonder if people will respond to the clean streets by not littering anymore? In the suburbs where I live, I know it doesn't work. I've cleaned up the same mile+ of street for about 5 years now and the trash just comes back. There's not a lot of foot traffic on the street but plenty of cars. What I did notice is that someone else started helping with the clean up -which is really great and (in my mind) means there is hope!

How 'bout that alliteration!

Many of the streets and bike paths in my area are littered with unsightly rubbish, especially beverage containers, in spite of the army of dustmen the city sends around to tidy things up. So, in an effort to "do my bit" to help keep things clean, I've been trying to pick up as much of it as I can. I make a special effort to get as many aluminum cans, plastic bottles and plastic shopping bags as I can because they are so harmful to the environment. It's not that much of an effort to stop and put them onto one of my racks and then pop them into one of the many recycling bins that are to found around town.

Does anyone else do this? I wonder how many bicycles could be made with the recycled materials one picks up in a year.

Good work! we do too :)

Back from a good haul.

http://www.bikerubbish.com/rubbish/march2008/ok2.jpg

Good work! we do too :)

Back from a good haul.


One thing that isn't trashy is that stretch limo bicycle. Green flames!

One thing that isn't trashy is that stretch limo bicycle. Green flames!
And is that a rear rack made from a skateboard? What a great idea ... just pop it off and have a spare vehicle?

And is that a rear rack made from a skateboard? What a great idea ... just pop it off and have a spare vehicle?

Yes, it's a huge skateboard. (You can see it clearly on his web site, along with another beautiful longtail made from one of those high-concept Electra bikes.)

Yep, it's a removable skateboard. This is one of our guest bikes that you can see it on and off.

Off without bags

http://www.bikerubbish.com/rubbish/june2008/ratrod.jpg

On without bags

http://www.bikerubbish.com/rubbish/june2008/ratrod5.jpg

On with bags

http://www.bikerubbish.com/rubbish/june2008/ratrod6.jpg

That is an amazing ride, BAH. *___*

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think they're actually taking junk to the scrap metal dealer because they get money for it.

Correct. Well, I cannot speak for them. I however pick up anything with a deposit* or metal. I don't stop in the middle of an intersection or anything, but if I see something in a parking lot or the side of the road/trail that has scrap or deposit value it goes home with me.

*Deposit is pretty much limited to soda bottles in the USA, and in Michigan its $0.10 for each bottle.

It's nice that its a dual win(clean up and $) but if I stopped for every piece of trash, it would take me HOURS to get to my destination, so I limit it to the trash that pays me for picking it up. :D

Those wheel balancing weights that you see all over the road and in parking lots -- anyone know what kind of metal are they made of?

Those wheel balancing weights that you see all over the road and in parking lots -- anyone know what kind of metal are they made of?

They use to be made of lead, we use to collect them
melt them down, and make sinkers for fishing.
But that was about 5 years ago.
We have business that clean the area beside the
Bike Paths here in the area, as you ride along each
busines has a maker that states there name.
So our paths are usally very clean.
And we have people on bikes that ride along and
collect the alum. cans to sell.