Atlanta Magnet Man prevents flat tires one nail at a time

ATLANTA - For many, riding a bike is just another form of exercise.  While that is partially true for Alex Benigno, his bike rides go much further.

"I just want to ride all over the city and pick up nails and screws wherever I find them," Benigno said.

Using a tricked out bicycle trailer with magnets, the nails and screws come to him. His work quickly went viral online.

"It's nobody's job to take care of this. It's just, it's the job of our tires to pick it all up," Benigno said. "That doesn't square well with me."

Meet the Atlanta Magnet Man Alex Benigno

He is known as "Atlanta Magnet Man." This project started after he saw a giant bag of screws spilled in a parking lot one day. He says he waited hours for it to be cleaned up, but nobody ever came. So he got work, but thought there had to be a better way.

"It's so satisfying to see how much I've picked up," Benigno said. "With a social media presence, people are sending me requests."

He has profiled his journey online. In just 8 weeks, he has ridden 522 miles criss-crossing the Atlanta area, collecting more than 410 pounds of metal.

One man's trash is proving to be another woman's treasure. Laura Lewis envisions art in the stuff Benigno finds.

"I'm really excited to see what gets birthed from the junk," she said.

Lewis is a metal artist. She gives scraps a second chance.

"Really excited to be part of the cycle of making something good out of, basically, garbage," Lewis said.

For Benigno, he’s just a man on a mission using magnets to keep our tires safe.

"It's extremely satisfying to know that none of these nails and screws are going to be hurting anyone's tires, and not going to be ruining anybody's day," Benigno said.