Reflections on Pick up Some Trash Day

Yesterday I celebrated Pick up Some Trash Day by picking up trash on my bike between work and the trolley and then again later on a short walk to the store. I think it is a lot easier to do when walking (say, with your dog) than when cycling. I also noticed that even with my slow speed and several stops on my ride to the train, I didn’t get home any later than normal.

The hardest part of Pick up Some Trash Day celebrations is retraining your self to see litter. After spending years ignoring trash I would often mentally skip over the trash as I saw it. Also, I noticed that on my bike, I don’t really want to pick up trash from the sidewalks or planters and walking I’d rather not get the stuff in the streets.

All in all it was a pleasurable experience that I look forward to for next week.

However, at one point I had to stop and ask myself: Am I turning into “that guy”? You know who I mean, the guy in your neighborhood growing up. You always saw him around. He seemed to bicycle everywhere he went (often in the same old jacket). You would often see him pick up trash (or at least recycling) and put it into his handle bar basket. When I asked my wife this question, her answer was a quick ‘yes.’ But then we both wondered, “is that a bad thing?” I don’t have an answer for that one.