Clean up after others

[TigerTanker]

I arrived at Elfendahl ORV Wednesday for Men's Day on Wednesday to find a big mess of McDonalds garbage next to my parked car.

I remembered that in my bin for gear I had a black garbage bag and some nitrile gloves. So, I put the glove on and picked up not just that trash, but anything I could find in the entire parking area. It took me a whopping 5-10 minutes and I filled the bag about 3/4 and tossed it into my truck bed for later proper disposal. When I was done, there wasn't a piece of garbage the size of a quarter in the entire ORV lot. 

I've done some projects like that in the past, and monitored the site later to see how long it takes to get messy again. Usually, it takes a long time. 

That trash wasn't mine, it probably wasn't yours, and it may very well not even have been dirt riders garbage. But, if the DNR comes by, or the general public, it might look like ours. I'm very proud of our group of riders in the NW because it is very rare to see a mess attributable to our group. In fact, especially with the efforts of John Eaton and members at SDR, we are net cleaners of the riding communities by a long shot. His efforts at SDR have not only cleaned the property they leased, but ALL the surrounding communities! That kind of goodwill they are creating will pay massive dividends for the future of ORV in the Shelton area. We should be like that everywhere. 

Trash shows up for any number of reasons. But one reason is accident, wind.... but so many people only clean up their own messes. No, we need to go one step further for the sake of community but also to benefit our reputations as a user group. So, if you can, find a way to pick up not just your garbage, but any and all from others. It hardly takes but a few minutes to do so. 

If you park somewhere, camp somewhere don't just clean up, clean up everything. That kind of thing is contagious, and a great lesson to teach kids.  

 

[Anatoli]

I arrived at Elfendahl ORV Wednesday for Men's Day on Wednesday to find a big mess of McDonalds garbage next to my parked car.
I remembered that in my bin for gear I had a black garbage bag and some nitrile gloves. So, I put the glove on and picked up not just that trash, but anything I could find in the entire parking area. It took me a whopping 5-10 minutes and I filled the bag about 3/4 and tossed it into my truck bed for later proper disposal. When I was done, there wasn't a piece of garbage the size of a quarter in the entire ORV lot. 
I've done some projects like that in the past, and monitored the site later to see how long it takes to get messy again. Usually, it takes a long time. 
That trash wasn't mine, it probably wasn't yours, and it may very well not even have been dirt riders garbage. But, if the DNR comes by, or the general public, it might look like ours. I'm very proud of our group of riders in the NW because it is very rare to see a mess attributable to our group. In fact, especially with the efforts of John Eaton and members at SDR, we are net cleaners of the riding communities by a long shot. His efforts at SDR have not only cleaned the property they leased, but ALL the surrounding communities! That kind of goodwill they are creating will pay massive dividends for the future of ORV in the Shelton area. We should be like that everywhere. 
Trash shows up for any number of reasons. But one reason is accident, wind.... but so many people only clean up their own messes. No, we need to go one step further for the sake of community but also to benefit our reputations as a user group. So, if you can, find a way to pick up not just your garbage, but any and all from others. It hardly takes but a few minutes to do so. 
If you park somewhere, camp somewhere don't just clean up, clean up everything. That kind of thing is contagious, and a great lesson to teach kids.  
 

I do the same. It takes a little maturity to get past the “It’s not mine or my problem “ mindset, but seeing the bigger picture helps. I keep a garbage bag in my riding pack and all my bigger vehicles. It weights an ounce or 2, but has many uses: garbage bag, emergency parka or bivy sack, fluid containment, etc. I remember riding from Middle Waddell to Porter and back at Capitol Forest with a couple of know it all noobs who only brought a jersey. When the storm hit 2 hours from the truck, they were fighting for that garbage bag.

[trailmeisterjoe]

Every time and place I camp I do the same. As far as elfendahl, the trash probably came from tweakers that have more and more lately set up camp there to "live" as this has been a steady problem that has gotten worse and worse over the last 2-3 years. DNR runs them off after a couple days but they just reappear. I have seen this many times there.

Joe

Edited January 19, 2019 by trailmeisterjoe

[bowhunter007]

A little trash here, a bit there...it adds up amazingly fast. I did a trash patrol day in the Elbe Hills, a couple years ago. From the staging area to the pit, plus just the highlight trails netted close to 15 cubic yards of trash. That doesn't include a dump truck full of old tires. Trash collects in our recreation areas at an alarming rate, were not for a few to clean it up...

[highmarker]

Rode to a coin car wash in Chelan totally caked with mud after riding Waterville.  Had to wade through the car trash dumped in the bays.  Asked if it was ok to drop so much mud and the guy laughed and pointed at the trash, said that's the way they roll in Mexico....

[guns_equal_freedom]

The best way to combat trash being tossed on the side of the road or out in the forest?
Make the transfer stations FREE to use. 
90% of the problem will magically disappear.   

[Cycle_Path]

15 minutes ago, guns_equal_freedom said:

The best way to combat trash being tossed on the side of the road or out in the forest?
Make the transfer stations FREE to use. 
90% of the problem will magically disappear.   

I am old enough to remember when they where all free.

[trailmeisterjoe]

4 hours ago, guns_equal_freedom said:

The best way to combat trash being tossed on the side of the road or out in the forest?
Make the transfer stations FREE to use. 
90% of the problem will magically disappear.   

"Free" just means that the contributing/working public pay some how ( just like socialism) while the non contributors take full advantage.

Joe

[guns_equal_freedom]

2 hours ago, trailmeisterjoe said:

"Free" just means that the contributing/working public pay some how ( just like socialism) while the non contributors take full advantage.Joe

Big picture - How much does it cost to have a crew go out into the forest to clean up the mattresses and ovens and bags of trash vice how much it would cost to just allow people to throw stuff away for free at the county transfer stations?

In the end the Greater North American Taxpayer is paying for it.

[TigerTanker]

The major dumping is very obviously done by the care takers of low income housing. Somebody skips town, and a ton of crap is left laying around. 

Annoying litter is usually from garbage trucks, wind, and a small minority of idiots. 

Its pretty easy to clean up after idiots and wind but getting the illegal dumpers and shoddy garbage service to shape up is a different matter. 

[joeaverage]

Personally I'd like to see tougher enforcement on illegal dumping along with more severe punishment. Here in Seattle we have our urban outdoor enthusiasts trashing up our green spaces and wetlands leaving behind tons of garbage (and basically a hazmat site) when an area is swept.  I gladly pay $100 a month for the privilege of having my trash and yard waste hauled away weekly. 

[shrubitup]

37 minutes ago, joeaverage said:

Personally I'd like to see tougher enforcement on illegal dumping along with more severe punishment. Here in Seattle we have our urban outdoor enthusiasts trashing up our green spaces and wetlands leaving behind tons of garbage (and basically a hazmat site) when an area is swept.  I gladly pay $100 a month for the privilege of having my trash and yard waste hauled away weekly. 

wetlands in Seattle? Wut? Oh, you mean the effluent coming from homeless camps and broke down/unlicensed/tabs expired/no license plate unofficially allowed RV parking areas (formerly nice clean residential streets).

[joeaverage]

Just one example is the area around the 1st ave S bridge. There are some wetlands on the west side that have been completely taken over and defiled. When headed south across the bridge you can see the compound set up, kind of like a giant duck blind. Piles of trash etc.. There used to be a ton of Canadian geese living around there too, wonder what happened to them ?

Edited January 20, 2019 by joeaverage

[guns_equal_freedom]

6 hours ago, joeaverage said:

Just one example is the area around the 1st ave S bridge. There are some wetlands on the west side that have been completely taken over and defiled. When headed south across the bridge you can see the compound set up, kind of like a giant duck blind. Piles of trash etc.. There used to be a ton of Canadian geese living around there too, wonder what happened to them ?

Wetlands in Seattle - stuff like this kills me.
"Seattle" has been hacked and butchered up in the past 150 years.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regrading_in_Seattle

https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/fa6c7c94-51ae-11e5-926b-69e56c7f1387-1024x1024.jpg
Your poor wetlands.  

As far as the Canadian geese go, I hope they were shot and cooked and served with some fresh asparagus.  

Edited January 21, 2019 by guns_equal_freedom

[joeaverage]

That's cool. Do you have an opinion on cleaning up after degenerates?

[Slackkinhard]

16 hours ago, joeaverage said:

That's cool. Do you have an opinion on cleaning up after degenerates?

I say....do what ya can, but don't let it rule your life. If it bothers you a lot to look at it, then pick it up yourself, or move. Reality is that it is better now than it was when I grew up, and it gets better kinda like the stock market does in the long run. 3 steps forward, 2 back.

Much of the dumping in local areas are by the locals. Cleaning up after them and advertising it, just makes them feel paranoid and hate us worse, so I think the best way is to just clean it up and try not to make too much of a fuss about it.  Even then, the state may come shut ya down anyway....ie Reiter

Edited January 21, 2019 by Slackkinhard

[nots0much]

Aside from taking a grocery bag or 2 back out of the woods every time we go riding/shooting, we usually start a small camp fire and burn up w/e non-stinky trash is in the vicinity. 

[rustyrodknocker]

The trashing of public riding areas is a complex issue and if we shrug it off as not a big deal to deal with, we are ignorant and will continue to lose area until it is all gone.

You don't just take 10 to 15 minutes to load up 15 cubic yards of trash in safeway sacks and put them in the back of your suv.

Just as investigators use a criminals garbage to understand more about the criminals. Those tactics will need to be utilized to determine what is going on in a given area at a given time. Things change. Some of this trash is hazmat level stuff that you don't teach your kids to pick up. Some requires a winch and comelongs to yard up. Nothing like grappling with a shot up water heater with 350 exit wounds.

I don't know what community the dude that says its better now than when he was a kid lives in but I'm moving there.

My life experience has been that societies values are not improving as years go by.

I live 300' from a school. That's how long a juice box and a mini bag of doritos last before its thrown on the ground.

We just did not do that type thing when I was in grade school. Different values. We did not do anything in clear site of the damn exit door of the school! The fact is, the parents of these kids throw trash on the ground and live in their own trash.

The farther your willing to travel from town the better it gets. Lazy crap bags with no self respect don't put in the effort to travel that far.

One thing is for sure is that these granola eating honda civic driving, motorcycle hating, hikers that are showing up in droves. From literally across America, are not throwing a damn thing on the ground! If they poop in the woods they carry it out in a safeway sack!  They are of above average intelligence, devoid of laziness and have no use for obnoxious machines or firearms. If the woods get cleaned up it will be because they figure out away to keep out the human trash .. 

[shrubitup]

6 minutes ago, rustyrodknocker said:

One thing is for sure is that these granola eating honda civic driving, motorcycle hating, hikers that are showing up in droves.

I like granola and have a honda civic and three noise making, obnoxious two stroke dirt bikes. Hiking is fairly down the list on my definition of fun. ⛈️

[TigerTanker]

law enforcement knows who the dumpers are