Friday Afternoon Poll: Banana Skins, Disposal Thereof

oflahero

...as opposed to non-organic litter, for which no discussion is needed. I remember being on a Boards spin once and a lad just dropped his Nutrigrain wrappers as he ate throughout, even while standing still at the Sally Gap crossroads, before being pulled up on it.

So, back to banana skins (and orange peel, etc.) Acceptable to hoof them into the hedge or not?

Captain Havoc

I don't think there's anything wrong with throwing a banana skin into a ditch. It breaks down fairly quickly.

oflahero

I'd have thought that too, but I recall a hiker once reacting indignantly to the idea of chucking it away.

bcmf

What the captain said

Esroh

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I don't think there's anything wrong with throwing a banana skin into a ditch. It breaks down fairly quickly.

Having just put the question to the Family Gardener who looks on all things like Banana Skins from their organic use side.
It takes between 3 to 4 weeks for a BS to decompose.
Therefore if said BS is 'Hoofed into the Hedge with the due accuracy of a well aimed sniper bullet rather than a casually lobbed grenade I would say Yes its ok.

Do becareful of lobbing said BS over said hedge into a field with live stock especially in coming months as the new younger generation of your potential Lamb or Beef sunday roast may feel it is worth a nibble on.:( and it may not suit their digestive system

Lumen

oflahero wrote: »

I'd have thought that too, but I recall a hiker once reacting indignantly to the idea of chucking it away.

Hikers are even more self-righteous than cyclists. It's hard to believe, but it's true. :pac:

Paul Kiernan

Esroh wrote: »

the new younger generation of your potential Lamb or Beef sunday roast may feel it is worth a nibble on

mmmmmmmmmm ... banana flavoured lamb.

DirkVoodoo

Toss 'em, as long as it's not into someone's face or garden, but over a hedgerow or into a field seems ok to me. I wouldn't be one for littering but anything biodegradable isn't really littering, is it?

http://www.gardenguides.com/124855-plants-benefit-banana-skins.html

Lumen

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Toss 'em, as long as it's not into someone's face or garden, but over a hedgerow or into a field seems ok to me. I wouldn't be one for littering but anything biodegradable isn't really littering, is it?

What about de-boned elephant carcasses?

I often just nibble at the eyelids and chuck the rest away.

lukester

Lumen wrote: »

What about de-boned elephant carcasses?

I often just nibble at the eyelids and chuck the rest away.

Thanks, make the rest of us feel bad and fat for eating the whole thing.

manwithaplan

The speed with which litter breaks down is important in a general environmental responsibility sense but also in the specific sense of what happens in my pocket should I choose to bring it home.

poochiem

Dropping them discretely in front of chasing pack always an option

Mint Sauce

Banana skins into the hedge or ditch, not over.

Nutragain/fig roll wrappers or empty natural confectionary company bags (brillant for the slow sugar release), back into pocket or bum bag from where they came till get home or bin at finish.

doozerie

I usually aim them into the ditch and out of sight. My most satisfying discarding of a banana skin though was in through the open window of a car after I'd questioned the driver's judgment in reversing his car onto the road right in front of me and his snotty reply was that "you were going too fast" (hardly - I was knackered after a race and only the banana I was eating at the time was going to get me home). Discarding of the skin into the car ticked all the boxes of disposing of it considerately (under the circumstances), out of sight, and away from livestock. Plus it made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

CheGuedara

We try to get our lot to follow the Leave No Trace way of things as much as can be applied.

They'd say to bring your fruit peels home with you, which I completely agree with when it comes to climbing/hillwalking/camping but I'd be inclined to agree with what most have said here when it comes to cycling; peels will degrade quite quickly and so long as they end up in the ditch and not over the ditch on top of a farmer or in front of a grazing animal that's ok.

I think most of our lot, as the vast majority of those that post here, wouldn't think of throwing wrappers and non-biodegradable stuff onto the road/ditch/hedge which is a great sign. A cyclist seen throwing a Hi-5 wrapper or whatever down on the road rather than stowing it in his jersey pocket (which is going in the wash later anyhow) makes us all look bad.

souter

I know of eclogical zealots who make a point of disposing of banana peels under bushes rather than a litter bin where they'll end up in landfill.
But I do it furtively as seen from a distance it's not clear what you're lobbing.

High Nellie

"...as opposed to non-organic litter, for which no discussion is needed."
Can't agree unfortunatly ... it's amazing how many dopes throw their wrapprs on the road. I think it's a problem with cyclists everywhere and the professional races encourag it the way they throw away all their junk.

Throwing the skin into a ditch makes perfect sense - 'earth to earth' and all that. If you are envirnomentally aware, what is the alternative - put it in the compost bin for a truck to take away and put into some other kind of energy-using composting system?

Toblerone1978

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Toss 'em, as long as it's not into someone's face or garden, but over a hedgerow or into a field seems ok to me.

Into a field is okay?? I'm surpised to hear that from a cow farmer; or were you lying to me, because if you were....

Seriously, I ask fellow cyclists to fire them into the ditch, as lobbying into the field (as Esroh pointed out earlier) is unfair to the farmer and would be akin to someone lobbing them into your front garden.

DirkVoodoo

Toblerone1978 wrote: »

Into a field is okay?? I'm surpised to hear that from a cow farmer; or were you lying to me, because if you were....

Seriously, I ask fellow cyclists to fire them into the ditch, as lobbying into the field (as Esroh pointed out earlier) is unfair to the farmer and would be akin to someone lobbing them into your front garden.

Sorry, I probably should have clarified, I meant field in the Dublin sense, i.e. that patch of grass over the wall around Enniskerry, rather than someone's back garden or at the side of the road.

Grass, I aim for the grass.

My cows are coming along well anyway, started milk deliveries to customers there last week, keep an eye for "Dirk's milky goodness", should be hitting shops in a week or so, looking to send housewives into a frenzy with the suggestive packaging.

Esroh

Lumen wrote: »

Hikers are even more self-righteous than cyclists. It's hard to believe, but it's true. :pac:

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Sorry, I probably should have clarified, I meant field in the Dublin sense, i.e. that patch of grass over the wall around Enniskerry, rather than someone's back garden or at the side of the road.

Grass, I aim for the grass.

My cows are coming along well anyway, started milk deliveries to customers there last week, keep an eye for "Dirk's milky goodness", should be hitting shops in a week or so, looking to send housewives into a frenzy with the suggestive packaging.

Just drifting off topic a little but Dirk hows the Girls milk yield holding up at this time off year.

el tel

I heard orange peel takes a long time to decompose but then again I've never seen anyone peel and eat an orange on the bike.

As for wantonly dropping litter in the form of wrappers and junk like that, if I saw someone do that I could never speak to them again! In fact they'd be persona non grata for ever. It's just inexcusable.

Raam

I wholeheartedly agree with the leave no trace principle. Sometimes I forget and toss the banana skin. When I do transgress, in penance I do a cycle in non matching gear.

chakattack

Bananas and apples in the ditch

Everything else get stuffed into the side of my bibs so the wrapper doesn't fall out when I grab another bar or whatever from the back pocket.

Sames goes for tubes! Wicklow roads are a disgrace after the WW200.

Chartsengrafs

I pocket mulch. Way to go. :rolleyes:

Captain Havoc

poochiem wrote: »

Dropping them discretely in front of chasing pack always an option

An irate moustachiod Italian did that to me once :mad:, he was wearing a red cap, red t-shirt and blue dungarees :pac:

Mint Sauce

chakattack wrote: »

Bananas and apples in the ditch

Everything else get stuffed into the side of my bibs so the wrapper doesn't fall out when I grab another bar or whatever from the back pocket.

Sames goes for tubes! Wicklow roads are a disgrace after the WW200.

Sorry for going off topic but do people seriously disregard tubes, not only a litter eyesore but also a hazard to anyone else coming along. If you had space for a spare tube, surely you have space for puntured one or give it to the road crew for disposal.

:eek:

fat bloke

High Nellie wrote: »

it's amazing how many dopes throw their wrapprs on the road. I think it's a problem with cyclists everywhere and the professional races encourag it the way they throw away all their junk.

It's fcukin disgusting is what it is. And it's shockingly prevalent among road cyclists, and is a real bug bear of mine, I must say. Doing the Sean Kelly last year, coming down a descent off the Comeraghs, beautiful scenery, really really pretty countryside, and the guy next to me (who I've been chatting away to) takes a swig out of his River Rock style bottle of water and then hefts it in his hand and fcukin lobs it over his shoulder into the ditch. I felt like fcuking jamming my pump into his front wheel. :mad: [EMAIL="W@nker"]W@nker[/EMAIL].
(sorry for the rant)

As regards organic litter, you may as well give out about trees shedding their leaves, and apples "littering" orchards. :rolleyes:

paddymacsporran

fat bloke wrote: »

I felt like fcuking jamming my pump into his front wheel. :mad: W@nker.

did you say anything or just stew for the rest of the spin?

feck sake lads

a gardener told me once banana skins were great for plants full of potassium no idea if he was having me on:D:D

Lumen

fat bloke wrote: »

It's fcukin disgusting is what it is. And it's shockingly prevalent among road cyclists, and is a real bug bear of mine, I must say. Doing the Sean Kelly last year, coming down a descent off the Comeraghs, beautiful scenery, really really pretty countryside, and the guy next to me (who I've been chatting away to) takes a swig out of his River Rock style bottle of water and then hefts it in his hand and fcukin lobs it over his shoulder into the ditch.

I have never cycled with anyone who drinks from non-reusable water bottles.

Except me, once, when I got a last minute invitation for a post-work spin up the Dublin mountains and didn't have any proper water bottles on my commuter.

I'm sure there's a Euro rule that covers this situation.

Hermy

Lumen wrote: »

Hikers are even more self-righteous than cyclists. It's hard to believe, but it's true. :pac:

Are you suggesting that cyclists are self-righteous?
Surely not?