The first six miles of my ride this morning were spent hopping off the Surly LHT to pick up roadside litter. And, boy, did I get two bags-full!
North on Tamarack I pedaled, crossed Hwy. 24, headed east on Medina Road -- and came close to filling one of the panniers before I even reached Uptown Hamel.
Bottles, cans, cig boxes and packs -- those were the "sin" samples collected, in abundance. Twenty-six beer bottles, and 9 boxes and packs of cigarettes. Marlboro was the hands-down culprit here.
I also collected Subway sandwich wrappers, Mickey D fries holders, Powerade jugs, an occasional plastic toy. There was an errant Claude + Maude Mule work glove; by that time both saddlebags were filled to overflowing ... and I kept on truckin'.
Picking up litter is a spiritual experience -- a velo "give back," you might say. There is SO MUCH trash these days .. someone has to do the needful. While my work was anonymous, I would have liked a fellow cyclist to have shouted "right on" as he pedaled by, or thought to lend me a hand.
Litter. Yeah, it's disgusting, gross and selfish. How come we STILL throw crap out of car windows without thinking of the mess it causes?
My first job in corporate America more than 40 years ago was working at Continental Can Co., as the "rep" to Keep America Beautiful.
Our job then, as now: to remind folks everywhere that littering is disgusting, unnecessary and selfish. I can't pick it up as fast as you can throw it down. So, just don't litter! How's that?
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