Abi, editor of Hippyshopper just sent this through to me. Apparently, the photo was taken in Crystal Palace where we are having an "epidemic"!

I've noticed *loads* of red rubber bands dropped by posties round Crystal Palace, and my dad (who collects them) thought it was his birthday when he came to visit me!


http://www.hippyshopper.com/2008/04/curse_of_the_po.html

They're bad for wildlife, apparently.

I use the ones that are dropped outside our door. Don't agree with dropping them of course. I just use them to get them off the ground and can't bring myself to throw them away as it seems very anti-environment.

Had a look at the article - biodegradable? Maybe they are but not at any time soon when thrown on the pavement.

Even if you drop a biodegradeable apple on the pavement it is called littering.

Maybe you could pick them up and then when the postie comes calling fire them back at him

Yes, I've noticed a lot around lately and try to pick them up as they're very useful in all sorts of ways. When my son was little he collected rubber bands and made them into an ENORMOUS rubber ball. Unfortunately it eventually landed on the school roof and that was the end of that. It's still quite a fun way for children to recycle and reduce litter.

ive got 3 outside my front door this morning...unfortunatly, all broken!

one on my doorstp and one in my road ....mmmhhh

I don't understand why the Post Office don't get fined for littering as it's their postmen who drop them.

Mind you, I don't understand why the guy at Crystal Palace station who still smokes on Platform 4 each morning doesn't get done either. He obviously knows that nobody will ever enforce the law.

I've never seen one on my doorstep... which is a shame as one rubber band has been known to amuse my cat for up to 45 minutes (unfortuantely however usually involves knocking a fe wthings over)

My three year old son loves the red rubber bands (he calls them 'pings') and is a prolific collector. On a good day we find 10 or more on the walk home from GH station.
We had the good fortune to follow one of the littering posties on the way to nursery one morning. Pingtastic.


PS my first post on VN! Be kind to me!

Apparently Royal Mail started introduced red rubber bands because of complaints about the number of the previously used beige ones that were dropped, and claims by posties that they couldn't see them due to the indistinct colour. The red colour was supposed to alert posties when they were dropped....not sure its working when I find one a day on my drive!!!

let's send them back to the Royal Mail with postage unpaid .... is it possible?

Couldnt you just get a load of them and deposit them in the nearest post box. Im sure it will eventually annoy the postman who has got to empty the post box on a regular basis enough to complain that the rubber bands should be disposed of properly in the first place!

I used to do it with junk mail that used to annoy me, but now in this recycling day and age I do the latter.

Well, the rubber band plague has spread up here to North Wales too!

Came out of my house this morning and found one on my driveway!!!! Photo Here.

JGX

Are you sure that's Wales? It looks like Palace, JGX....

We have the same problem in Streatham and I get a regular deposit of red rubber bands on my doorstep courtesy of the postie. It does however mean I always know where to go if I need a rubber band!!
Perhaps they're leaving a trail to help find their way back to the post office??!

They are all over my (current) neck of the woods in central London too (still waiting to exchange in order to become a Norwooder...) No-one ever, ever seems to pick them up.

I agree. In my early youth (early/mid 80s) we used to make 'peg guns' utilising clothes pegs and rubber bands, with the metal bit from the clothes peg attached to a rubber band and held in tension on the 'barrel' with another clothes peg, doubling as the firing mechanism. Very Son of Rambow..! ....and very painful when it hit you. Of course your average 21st century wetback wouldn't allow such youthful craftsmanship for fear of hurting someone...flippin sausage munchers!