LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Master

2355

Houston, TX

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

If I in a race in a 1 peice skin suit will shove my gel wrappers in my suit somewhere till the end of the race.. think a cyclists with a cycling jersey with likely 3 pockets could keep that wrapper..

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Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Booooo!

I hate to see cig. butts flying out of windows when I drive. You really get the full scope of how nasty it is when you stop your bike at a major intersection and see butts an inch deep!

With regards to bike litter though...does fruit count as litter? Serious quesiton. I chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods all the time.
But I also pick up bottles and trash and bring them to a can when I see litter... so thats some good karma right?

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

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Master

1440

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 9:23 AM Booooo!

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

RD at my last two said littering out side of T area was abandonment and there was a penalty (Maybe 2 min, don't recall)

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Expert

763

Behind you

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Good post! Its a shame that you'll see ppl chuck stuff like this and not care about the environment then turns around and say they are an outdoors person. Well, they are not setting a good role for our children.

I would say ok to food or perishable items since they are biodegradable. My father is a extreme environmentalist and he always does this with food pealings.

Sensei

Sin City

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

I was out for a training run and a couple of kids (maybe college age or just out) were running the other way through a pretty nice green belt (park/trail). One of the kids was running with a water bottle and poured the last of it over his head and then just through it on the ground like it was no big deal! I was like WTF!!! I was too surprised to even say anything.

What's even more frustrating, is that they installed trash cans probably every tenth of a mile on the trail and one was only about 100 yards from where he threw it down... Some people...

I 'thought' he might get in on the way back so I let it sit for a while with the thought that on MY return trip, if it was still there, I would get it. Of course it was, so I grabbed it and tossed it.

THAT'S why we can't have nice thing... Someone ruins them.

ETA: As for racing, I feel bad even if I lost the top of a GU pack when I rip it open, even on accident and tend to use the trash cans at aid stations even though we are allowed to throw it on the ground (not to say that I'm perfect - if I miss the trash can, I let it go)

Edited by Aikidoman 2009-08-31 10:54 AM

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Champion

8766

Evergreen, Colorado

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

TexasMPGal - 2009-08-30 9:15 PM

[rant]
So, I did Hotter 'N Hell in Wichita Falls yesterday. Thousands and thousands of cyclists. Beautiful weather. Of course, with that many riders you expect crashes, and unfortunately I saw lots of folks on the ground and lots of emergency vehicles. Of course, with that many riders you expect some water bottles on the ground. There was a minefield of them over the first 20 miles.
What one should NOT expect from ANY cyclist, triathlete, or runner is to be a LITTER BUG! There were several times where some of the folks riding near me that thought the ground was their trash can after they finished a gel. I was ticked. I yelled "there's pockets for that" everytime. Each person I yelled at was intentional in the dumping, it wasn't a fumble, it was intentional dumping.

Seriously folks, if you use a gel, stick the trash in your pocket on your jersey, or under the spandex of your shorts and dump it at an aid station. Be a good steward, stash your trash, DO NOT BE A LITTER BUG.

Then, on the way home, while driving through Dallas some knucklehead (not associated with HHH) threw a full bag of fast food trash out their car on an interstate?? I'm not your environmental extremists, but I sure do believe there are little things we can do, and STASHING YOUR TRASH properly is NOT THAT HARD!
[/rant]

Never get the red head fired up...

But she's right.

Litter bugs SUCK!

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Master

2638

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

TexasMPGal - 2009-08-30 10:15 PM

[rant] . . . STASHING YOUR TRASH properly is NOT THAT HARD!
[/rant]

Right on, sister.

This is a huge pet peeve of mine. People are pigs. You should have seen the transition area at my last race. I helped the volunteers clean it up while we waited for the scores to be posted.

Since you mentioned stashing your trash, here is a link to the Gu "Stash Your Trash" program. I got my husband some very nice Gu socks (and a donation to Athletes for a Cure - the prostate cancer charity) for saving up all of our wrappers and the ones I found on the ground. http://www.guenergy.com/about_us/enviro-community_stash-your-trash

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Champion

5376

PA

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

TexasMPGal - 2009-08-30 10:15 PM

[rant]
So, I did Hotter 'N Hell in Wichita Falls yesterday. Thousands and thousands of cyclists. Beautiful weather. Of course, with that many riders you expect crashes, and unfortunately I saw lots of folks on the ground and lots of emergency vehicles. Of course, with that many riders you expect some water bottles on the ground. There was a minefield of them over the first 20 miles.
What one should NOT expect from ANY cyclist, triathlete, or runner is to be a LITTER BUG! There were several times where some of the folks riding near me that thought the ground was their trash can after they finished a gel. I was ticked. I yelled "there's pockets for that" everytime. Each person I yelled at was intentional in the dumping, it wasn't a fumble, it was intentional dumping.

Seriously folks, if you use a gel, stick the trash in your pocket on your jersey, or under the spandex of your shorts and dump it at an aid station. Be a good steward, stash your trash, DO NOT BE A LITTER BUG.

Then, on the way home, while driving through Dallas some knucklehead (not associated with HHH) threw a full bag of fast food trash out their car on an interstate?? I'm not your environmental extremists, but I sure do believe there are little things we can do, and STASHING YOUR TRASH properly is NOT THAT HARD!
[/rant]

I'm with you man. I don't like intentional littering. It's just careless, lazy, and inconsiderate. I would have been tempted to pick it up and give it back to the offender. (if I could have caught up.)

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Champion

5376

PA

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 9:23 AM Booooo!

I hate to see cig. butts flying out of windows when I drive. You really get the full scope of how nasty it is when you stop your bike at a major intersection and see butts an inch deep!

With regards to bike litter though...does fruit count as litter? Serious quesiton. I chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods all the time.
But I also pick up bottles and trash and bring them to a can when I see litter... so thats some good karma right?

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

I would not consider an apple core as trash. Animals will eat that stuff up and thank you for it.

My Race Log

Expert

803

MD

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Pector55 - 2009-08-31 12:09 PM

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 9:23 AM Booooo!

I hate to see cig. butts flying out of windows when I drive. You really get the full scope of how nasty it is when you stop your bike at a major intersection and see butts an inch deep!

With regards to bike litter though...does fruit count as litter? Serious quesiton. I chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods all the time.
But I also pick up bottles and trash and bring them to a can when I see litter... so thats some good karma right?

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

I would not consider an apple core as trash. Animals will eat that stuff up and thank you for it.

Not to get 'tree hugger' on you here, but there is a problem with food thrown from cars.

Food thrown from cars will decompose or get eaten by small animals, that is true. But this attracts small animals (mice, voles, rabbits, etc) to the roadside as they feed on food thrown from cars. This in turn attracts the animals that hunt the smaller foraging critters; foxes, raptors - hawks, eagles, owls, etc, which often get struck by cars as they hunt. Talk with any raptor rescue organization and they will plead with you not to throw food from your cars, as many of the birds they rescue are struck in this way. There is enough natural food away from the roadside for animals - your apple core is not doing any animals any favors.

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Veteran

1097

Elizabethtown, KY

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Pector55 - 2009-08-31 1:09 PM

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 9:23 AM Booooo!

I hate to see cig. butts flying out of windows when I drive. You really get the full scope of how nasty it is when you stop your bike at a major intersection and see butts an inch deep!

With regards to bike litter though...does fruit count as litter? Serious quesiton. I chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods all the time.
But I also pick up bottles and trash and bring them to a can when I see litter... so thats some good karma right?

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

I would not consider an apple core as trash. Animals will eat that stuff up and thank you for it.

Me either - I just had a thought, though, that you should be careful if it's anything exotic or potentially invasive. So, if you're chewing kudzu, don't spit it out when the flavor's gone . . .

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Champion

5376

PA

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

econway - 2009-08-31 1:19 PM

Pector55 - 2009-08-31 12:09 PM

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 9:23 AM Booooo!

I hate to see cig. butts flying out of windows when I drive. You really get the full scope of how nasty it is when you stop your bike at a major intersection and see butts an inch deep!

With regards to bike litter though...does fruit count as litter? Serious quesiton. I chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods all the time.
But I also pick up bottles and trash and bring them to a can when I see litter... so thats some good karma right?

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

I would not consider an apple core as trash. Animals will eat that stuff up and thank you for it.

Not to get 'tree hugger' on you here, but there is a problem with food thrown from cars. Food thrown from cars will decompose or get eaten by small animals, that is true. But this attracts small animals (mice, voles, rabbits, etc) to the roadside as they feed on food thrown from cars. This in turn attracts the animals that hunt the smaller foraging critters; foxes, raptors - hawks, eagles, owls, etc, which often get struck by cars as they hunt. Talk with any raptor rescue organization and they will plead with you not to throw food from your cars, as many of the birds they rescue are struck in this way. There is enough natural food away from the roadside for animals - your apple core is not doing any animals any favors.

She said "chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods."

My Race Log

Expert

803

MD

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Pector55 - 2009-08-31 12:25 PM

econway - 2009-08-31 1:19 PM

Pector55 - 2009-08-31 12:09 PM

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 9:23 AM Booooo!

I hate to see cig. butts flying out of windows when I drive. You really get the full scope of how nasty it is when you stop your bike at a major intersection and see butts an inch deep!

With regards to bike litter though...does fruit count as litter? Serious quesiton. I chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods all the time.
But I also pick up bottles and trash and bring them to a can when I see litter... so thats some good karma right?

Can you be penalized for littering in a race?

I would not consider an apple core as trash. Animals will eat that stuff up and thank you for it.

Not to get 'tree hugger' on you here, but there is a problem with food thrown from cars. Food thrown from cars will decompose or get eaten by small animals, that is true. But this attracts small animals (mice, voles, rabbits, etc) to the roadside as they feed on food thrown from cars. This in turn attracts the animals that hunt the smaller foraging critters; foxes, raptors - hawks, eagles, owls, etc, which often get struck by cars as they hunt. Talk with any raptor rescue organization and they will plead with you not to throw food from your cars, as many of the birds they rescue are struck in this way. There is enough natural food away from the roadside for animals - your apple core is not doing any animals any favors.

She said "chuck banana peels and apple cores into the woods."

Yeah, I know, and I see your point. But, thrown from a moving car, it's still not going far into the woods, it still attracts the animals closer to the road as a potential food source. From an ecological point of view, its best to just keep the apple cores and banana peels until you find a trash can, or a compost pile if you really want to go green

My Race Log

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

Hey guys,

first things first... Chandy is a knickname. It is short for Coach Andy, as in Andrew. Last time I checked, my pregnant wife thought I was a man... : 0 )

second, I usually chuck the peel of a banana or the core of an apple into the woods after resting and "refueling" on a bike ride, not from my car. I stash Gu and power bar wrappers into my saddle bag, or stuff them inside my pant leg. I always figured the apple and Banana would bio-degrade before doing anyone any harm. Also its not so easy to haul home. I just bought my first bike jersey last week, so until now, no pockets anywhere to speak of.

Im not really into any exotic apples or bananas in NH... but who knows. Maybe in 3 years you will all be eating a NH grown Banapple.

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Champion

5376

PA

Subject: RE: LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

chandy14ski - 2009-08-31 4:37 PM Hey guys,

first things first... Chandy is a knickname. It is short for Coach Andy, as in Andrew. Last time I checked, my pregnant wife thought I was a man... : 0 )

second, I usually chuck the peel of a banana or the core of an apple into the woods after resting and "refueling" on a bike ride, not from my car. I stash Gu and power bar wrappers into my saddle bag, or stuff them inside my pant leg. I always figured the apple and Banana would bio-degrade before doing anyone any harm. Also its not so easy to haul home. I just bought my first bike jersey last week, so until now, no pockets anywhere to speak of.

Im not really into any exotic apples or bananas in NH... but who knows. Maybe in 3 years you will all be eating a NH grown Banapple.

Yeah, that's how I read it too but I didn't want to keep it going.

I think he was mixing up the part where there was reference to people throwing cig butts out of car windows and assumed we meant fruit from car windows. Either way, I think we all agreed that the paper wrapper people suck.

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LITTER BUGS! ARGH!

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