Back To The Big Dummy

Loaded. Recycling Cycling

So, we do some recycling now days to help out as we can with keeping things out of the landfill as much as possible. I'm not trying to shame anyone here, or pat my own back, but we felt led to do this so that's what we do. Anyway, since we've been doing this we've reduced what is going directly to the landfill by a huge amount by my estimate. We used to fill our garbage can up weekly. Now we're having a rare week if two bags are in the can. Most weeks it is one bag.

So, the point being here is that the rest of that stuff is going.....somewhere. All I know is we take a bunch of cardboard, glass jars, plastic milk jugs, and cans to a recycling area across the Cedar River from where I live. Maybe a mile or two at most away. Typically I use my Big Dummy for this trip, but recently I have been lazy, forgetful, or a slave to convenience, (all three?) and the "Truck With No Name" has been the recycling vehicle. Well, with Spring breaking here I figured it was high time to put an end to that scene.

It had been so long since the Big Dummy had seen the light of day that the tires were nearly flat. Thankfully they have tubes and only air was necessary to bring them back to life again. 20psi in those 2.4" tires is plenty on the 47mm wide rims. Rides so smooth.......

I have been keeping a selection of bungee cords in one inner pocket of one of the cargo bags and the flat repair items and a glass sweep up kit in the other inner pocket on the opposite side. I was inspired by a Des Moines area cyclist named Dori that keeps a dust pan, hand broom, and plastic bags in her cargo bike in case she sees broken glass on a bike path. We see a LOT of broken glass on sidewalks here in Waterloo. Especially so since there are what....three or four liquor stores within a square mile area here, and that does not take into account the two convenience stores in that same area. So, lots of street drinking and yeah.....lots of smashed beer and liquor bottles. So, I sweep that up when I come across it on my Big Dummy now. Hand sweep, scoop with the dust pan, dump it into the plastic shopping bags, and dispose of it later. But that hasn't been happening much since I was using the truck.

Unloaded, heading back home. The Cedar River is in the background.

So, anyway, using the Big Dummy for recycling and errands is a good thing in many ways. I don't get as angry either, because, well.....traffic. It's a calmer way to travel, and I get a chance to slow down and think some. Lot's of great reasons to own this bike, but they don't matter if I don't use it. So, I look toward using it more now. I got lazy, yes. It's easy to do, ya know? But this is just a much better way to go, and I am glad I was reminded of such yesterday.