He looked into the issue and learned that metal litter on roads is a nationwide problem, often caused by nails or other sharp objects being knocked over by trucks, and sometimes even deliberately. In the United States, a vehicle A tire is punctured every seven seconds, causing 220 million punctures per year, according to a report from Autoily.
Benigno decided to do something. During the pandemic, when there wasn’t much traffic on the streets, he noticed small metal debris scattered everywhere.
“I thought if I picked up all these nails in my tires on an abandoned street, then other people must have flat tires too,” he said.
About a year ago, he bought 10 powerful magnets for $160 online, attached them to the belly of his bike trailer, then took a ride to Atlanta late in the afternoon to see how many nails, screws, bottle caps, flattened cans and pieces of wire that it might attract. Benigno rides his bike standing up because of his back surgery 12 years ago.
During its first 10-mile trip with the magnets attached, the underside of the trailer picked up about six pounds of sharp pieces of metal.
“From there I decided to continue going out every day after work, added more magnets and tried all sorts of configurations with them to get to where I was collecting even more,” did he declare.
He attached a broom to the trailer to help sweep more metal into the magnets, and he selected different areas of the city to go through each time.
In December, he said he collected about 50 pounds of debris every 10 days, scraped it off the bottom of the trailer each night and stored it in trash cans in his car and at his home or at the supply store photo where he works.
When he started an Instagram page in January to alert people to the problem of metal debris on the streets, Benigno dubbed himself “the Atlanta Magnet Man.” His videos and posts quickly attracted an audience, and Georgia Public Broadcasting shared the story of his street cleaning efforts.
People immediately started posting thank you messages, sharing their own stories of flat tires.
“Midtown is the worst,” one person wrote. “I’ve had a few flat tires the last few years with all the construction, you’re a brave guy.”
“Tire repair shops must thrive there!” What a nightmare! Thanks for your help,” someone from Ohio wrote.
“I love how simplistic it is. I think I will modify my scooter like that,” wrote a follower from Georgia.
Benigno posted one of his cycling videos to YouTube last month to give people a better idea of how much debris his magnets pick up.
When Laura Lewis, an Atlanta scrap artist, found out what he was doing, she offered to take away the junk he had collected.
“I gave him the whole lot, worth 410 pounds,” Benigno said. “I like that she can do something with it.”
Lewis said she was looking for smaller metal pieces to add more detail to her sculptures.
“When he dropped everything off, it was like he brought me a bunch of 100,000-piece puzzles with no pictures or boxes,” she said.
“I’m still sorting it out, and he’ll be bringing more soon,” Lewis, 49, said. “I’m grateful he picks up trash.” It gives me hope to know that there is someone out there, cleaning up after people and taking action.
The city of Atlanta did not respond to a Washington Post request for comment on Benigno’s volunteer efforts, but said it was able to continue its daily cleaning journey without his participation..
“They send sweepers to clean the streets, but they really can’t pick up all the little pieces,” Benigno said. “Because some of these things are so small, they get turned over by the sweeper, and when someone runs over them, there’s another puncture.”
He said he usually takes his trailer out seven days a week and is always amazed by the random objects his magnets pick up.
“The strangest thing I’ve seen is probably an actual round ball, but I also once saw the hook of a construction crane,” he said. “I had to pick it up by hand. These are mainly nails, screws, washers and objects fallen from cars. A constant stream of pieces of metal.
Benigno said he hopes cyclists in other cities can learn from his example to become loving men – or loving women – in their own cities.
“This problem is not unique to Atlanta, it’s present everywhere,” he said. “We have all experienced the aggravation of finding a nail in a tire. With all the problems in our life, we don’t need to deal with them equally.
“The satisfaction I get knowing that what I picked up won’t end up in someone’s tires and ruin their day is why I’m still here,” he added. “I’m also getting a pretty good workout at the same time.”
