The plastic waste pirate

Falk Skeide is a man on a mission. When he travels on his Fat Boy^®, he collects rubbish along the way – most recently on a ride that took him all the way to the Sahara Desert

WORDS BY KNUT BRIEL

At first glance, there’s nothing unusual about Falk Skeide. In his mid-forties, he’s a trained engineer who was an active hobby football player for a long time, and he lives in Upper Bavaria – more precisely in the idyllic town of Zorneding, near Munich. Falk is passionate about riding motorcycles, and in particular a V-twin from Harley-Davidson: his beloved Fat Boy^®, which he has been riding for 14 years. Falk inherited his love of American Iron from his father-in-law, who bequeathed him his Electra Glide^® with sidecar. The bike hadn’t been ridden for more than ten years, and it was during the restoration process that Falk caught the Harley^® bug. However, he didn’t enjoy riding on three wheels as much as on two, and he had also fallen in love with the legendary design of the Fat Boy. So, Falk sold the rig and snapped up a 2005 model of the mother of all cruisers, powered by a Twin Cam 88 engine. “I think the bike’s design is so perfect that I haven’t done any modifications to it to this day,” Falk says. “Except for the side licence plate and new exhaust, my machine is completely stock.”

Falk prefers to spend his time riding rather than wrenching, and for 2018 he had his sights set on a trip around the Baltic Sea and to the North Cape. Around the same time, he came up with an idea of how he could do his bit in the fight against plastic waste, which has long been a thorn in his side. His motto is to set a good example and raise awareness at the same time; in doing so, he wants to appeal above all to children, whose future is at stake. Falk came up with a new name for himself – a ‘plastic waste pirate’ – and he has developed a workshop directed specifically at fourth-grade students.

“Nine- to ten-year-old children in particular soak up everything interesting,” he explains. “They act enormously engaged when they are convinced of something without pursuing personal gain.”

In his workshops, Falk motivates kids to generate less plastic waste, carefully separate rubbish and collect it where necessary. It is a matter of honour that the kids are allowed to wear the title of ‘plastic waste pirate’ themselves and are given a fabric bag with the logo of Falk’s campaign, which can be helpful for them when collecting waste. A cloth bag like this also accompanies Falk on his travels – attached to the Fat Boy so that it is clearly visible. When he parks his Harley in a town or village, he is sure to attract the attention of passers-by, and when he then begins to pick up rubbish at the roadside, he quickly strikes up conversation with them.

To date, Falk has already held more than 150 of his workshops in Bavaria, as well as organising other activities such as an exhibition of art made of plastic waste. He also successfully completed his second major trip with the Fat Boy to great media attention: in May and June of this year, he rode more than 6,000 miles in 40 days through 12 countries, primarily in southern Europe, with a detour to Morocco that took him as far as the Sahara Desert. “The Sahara and the High Atlas are not exactly the preferred terrain for a Fat Boy,” Falk admits. “I had to ride a lot of gravel roads and pothole-strewn mountain roads, but my Harley took it all on without complaint.” During the entire trip, his motorcycle only fell over twice while stationary, and didn’t sustain any damage, and the only defect was a broken taillight bulb, which he replaced at the H-D^® dealer in Marrakech.

Falk actually found the most beautiful motorcycle route not to be in the High Atlas, nor on the Mediterranean coast or the Atlantic, nor in the Alps or the Pyrenees, but in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. “The route from Porto via Bragança to Gijón leads on wonderfully winding and well-maintained roads over gentle hills and easy passes without much traffic,” he enthuses. “Real dream roads for me and my Harley!” The most wonderful encounter, however, was one he had in Morocco, when he stopped in a small village where some boys were playing football. “The kids immediately surrounded me and even let me take part in their game,” Falk recalls. “Since the ball we were playing with didn’t deserve the name, I asked a young man watching if there was a way to get a new ball. I gave him money, and he rode away on a moped. You think that was the last I have seen of him? No way – we kept kicking around, and half an hour later the kids were holding two brand new footballs!”

To find out more about the plastic waste pirates and Falk’s nonprofit organisation ‘PlaMPi gUG’, and to make a donation, visit plastikmuellpiraten.de. If you want to buy your own ‘plastic waste pirate’ cloth bag at a price of €7, email info@plastikmuellpiraten.de. ■

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