Banana skins litter?

Con41

Just wondering what the etiquetee is with regard to throwing banana skins into a field when cyclling in the country. Is this considered to be littering?

I'm not talking about throwing them on the side of a road or in a build up area/housing estate.

Thanks

Darkglasses

Con41 wrote: »

Just wondering what the etiquetee is with regard to throwing banana skins into a field when cyclling in the country. Is this considered to be littering?

I'm not talking about throwing them on the side of a road or in a build up area/housing estate.

Thanks

It kind of splits opinion. I think it's fine and I've never seen anyone say anything about me/other people chucking them into ditches or whatever, but some people on here do have a problem with it.

There's various stats out there that say how long banana skins take to decompose, but you know what they say about statistics.

Mugser

Not at all. They'll de-compose pretty quickly.

Captain Havoc

Before someone comes with the eight year to decompose, that was done on a frozen mountain. It will take longer in winter than in summer to decompose.

hardCopy

I've never considered it littering, they're usually half decomposed before they leave my fruit bowl.

GreeBo

As long as you dont throw it where someone is likely to step/cycle/etc on it no issues here.

QueensGael

If it didn't grow there, don't throw it there.

Corkbah

maybe up north they take a dimmer view of throwing degradable items "over the hedge"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19846121

as far as I'm concerned its still littering - would you throw a banana skin to rest against a building wall if you were in the city centre ? what about when you are not cycling - is it ok to throw a banana skin away then ???

its biodegradable ? ..is it not ???

buffalo

Darkglasses wrote: »

It kind of splits opinion.

Banana split opinion? :pac:

wildefalcon

Having had to explain to a 3 year old why he couldn't throw his apple juice carton away, when his mother said it was ok to throw an apple butt away, I now believe that if you don't own the place, don't leave your discards there.

Much simpler.

GreeBo

Corkbah wrote: »

maybe up north they take a dimmer view of throwing degradable items "over the hedge"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19846121

as far as I'm concerned its still littering - would you throw a banana skin to rest against a building wall if you were in the city centre ? what about when you are not cycling - is it ok to throw a banana skin away then ???

its biodegradable ? ..is it not ???

I throw them away all the time, just like apple butts, pears, etc.
I will always putt it somewhere that will not inconvenience anyone else. If that means in a hedge or up a tree, so be it.

ford2600

wildefalcon wrote: »

Having had to explain to a 3 year old why he couldn't throw his apple juice carton away, when his mother said it was ok to throw an apple butt away, I now believe that if you don't own the place, don't leave your discards there.

Much simpler.

As a farmer I'm fit to shoot anyone littering along road edge.

Have no issue with cyclist/pedestrian throwing banana skin or apple core in over ditch

petethedrummer

Probably no harm to take a sandwich bag on spins for all cycling rubbish and deal with it when you get home.

Corkbah

GreeBo wrote: »

I throw them away all the time, just like apple butts, pears, etc.
I will always putt it somewhere that will not inconvenience anyone else. If that means in a hedge or up a tree, so be it.

and you can do what you want in your own life - I'm not going to judge you for it.

the OP asked for opinions on throwing them - I gave mine - I consider it littering and a court in Co. Down has agreed with my opinion. (doesn't mean its morally or ethically right)

ford2600

As an aside. Just back from Sicily, naturally beautiful island lovely rolling countryside.
They don't care about litter though. Section of countryside absolutely filthy

Green&Red

I would have said any fruit waste can go into any ditch, field etc, they're gone pretty quickly, I'd follow this whether on the bike or not

Darkglasses

I live out in the country and take no issue with people throwing fruit debris into our hedge/ditch, where it can't be seen/stepped on and will promptly be gobbled by some insects and such.

Bar/gel wrappers, I take serious issue with them being thrown away, different story entirely. Have cleaned up after races before and will do again, not much fun.

scotchy

ford2600 wrote: »

As an aside. Just back from Sicily, naturally beautiful island lovely rolling countryside.
They don't care about litter though. Section of countryside absolutely filthy

Was there last year. My most abiding memory is the amount of litter and how casually people throw it on the street.

Was also on mount Vesuvius and saw a uniformed park ranger throw an empty cigarette pack out the window of his Jeep onto the path to the top of the volcano.

.

fondriest

I will sometimes throw a banana skin into a field or hedge but ALL gel/bar wrappers go back in my pocket . I'm amazed at how many people still dump wrappers in the middle of the road during a race or sportive .

bcmf

Any natural foodstuff will either be eaten by rats or another of Gods great creatures long before it decompses.

On a sportive over Mt. Leinster during the summer I was behind a cyclist who had grabbed a bottle of water of a volunteer and a few seconds later threw it into a gateway.
I mean its an effing sportive not the Tour. Grow the fook up.

wotdef

Once you're finished with it, it becomes waste. When you drop your waste on public or someone else's property it is littering. You're able to bring the stuff out with you, so Bring your crap home and stop expecting other people to clean up after you. When you spend the day cleaning up after lazy toe rags that ONLY dropped one thing then maybe you would think differently.

Darkglasses

wotdef wrote: »

Once you're finished with it, it becomes waste. When you drop your waste on public or someone else's property it is littering. You're able to bring the stuff out with you, so Bring your crap home and stop expecting other people to clean up after you. When you spend the day cleaning up after lazy toe rags that ONLY dropped one thing then maybe you would think differently.

Why clean up a banana skin in a hedgerow? It will be invisible within a day, if it can be seen at all, it poses no danger or contamination to wildlife, will probably be eaten by some animal happy to do so.

Fruit gets dropped naturally into hedgerows, what does it matter if a person put it there rather than it falling off a tree?

Swamp3

I wouldn't chuck it out the car window, I wouldn't throw it away if I was out walking, so I stick it back in my pocket and put it in the nearest bin when I'm out for a cycle.
I did the Marmotte this year and the littering was shocking....most of it done within 20 metres of large bins.
As for people out racing, I'm sure every bit of weight counts, so they'll dump it as they eat it.

nerraw1111

Discarded orange peels/banana skins at beauty spots still look as bad as wrappers. It doesn't belong there and it looks awful, spoiling the area.

Can't see why people can't bring their peels with them.

wotdef

Darkglasses wrote: »

Why clean up a banana skin in a hedgerow? It will be invisible within a day, if it can be seen at all, it poses no danger or contamination to wildlife, will probably be eaten by some animal happy to do so.

Fruit gets dropped naturally into hedgerows, what does it matter if a person put it there rather than it falling off a tree?

If you feel that it somehow becomes invisible, does that mean we can all dump rubbish and as soon as we turn away it becomes invisible as well. As for animals eating banana skins, I have seen banana skins sitting at the edge of a roundabout for a year and no bird or animal ate them. Littering is littering.

bcmf

wotdef wrote: »

I have seen banana skins sitting at the edge of a roundabout for a year and no bird or animal ate them.

Jaysus that is some banana skin. Genetic engineering gone horribly wrong.

Squidgy Black

If you can throw them in Mario Kart, then it's fair game.

Same applies to turtle shells.

Ole Rodrigo

You can smoke banana skins. Don't throw them away ffs.

poolboy

A banana skin in the bottom of a ditch out of sight is no harm at all. Hanging them out of trees or dropping them on the road however is a different story

el tel

No matter what way one justifies or excuses it, it's littering.

GreeBo

el tel wrote: »

No matter what way one justifies or excuses it, it's littering.

Other than the fact that they are naturally occurring, as opposed to say a gel wrapper?

ratracer

If you take it out of your pocket, isn't it just as easy to put it back into your pocket? Its not like your jersey isn't going straight into the wash when you get home.

Squidgy Black

ratracer wrote: »

If you take it out of your pocket, isn't it just as easy to put it back into your pocket? Its not like your jersey isn't going straight into the wash when you get home.

Mushy banana skin pushing up against your back for another 100km or so? No thank you.

JustAddWater

Con41 wrote: »

Just wondering what the etiquetee is with regard to throwing banana skins into a field when cyclling in the country. Is this considered to be littering?

Blue shells work better

Roger Hassenforder

wotdef wrote: »

Once you discard or intend to, or are required to discard any substance or object belonging to a category of waste specified in the First Schedule or for the time being included in the European Waste Catalogue , and anything which is discarded or otherwise dealt with as if it were waste shall be presumed to be waste until the contrary is proved, it becomes waste. When you drop your waste on public or someone else's property it is littering. You're able to bring the stuff out with you, so Bring your crap home and stop expecting other people to clean up after you. When you spend the day cleaning up after lazy toe rags that ONLY dropped one thing then maybe you would think differently.

FYP:P

litter:
“means a substance or object, ..that, when deposited in a place other than a litter receptacle or other place lawfully designated for the deposit, is or is likely to become unsightly, deleterious, nauseous or unsanitary, ...regardless of its size or volume or the extent of the deposit;

its all a matter of context. a banana skin on Pana would IMO be litter; an apple core or banana skin in a ditch... i think not.

Sauve

I've no issue with chucking organic matter into a hedge when cycling.
It gets fired in with enough force that it won't be visible. If anything, it'll feed the soil

Gel wrappers were mentioned above, I really don't know why they don't come in biodegradable sachets. It'd be a great idea...

Darkglasses

Sauve wrote: »

Gel wrappers were mentioned above, I really don't know why they don't come in biodegradable sachets. It'd be a great idea...

It'd be fantastic. I guess the manufacturers would worry that the innards of the sachet would degrade into the gel, or leak, while sitting around in a warehouse for months.

ThisRegard

Sauve wrote: »

Gel wrappers were mentioned above, I really don't know why they don't come in biodegradable sachets. It'd be a great idea...

Because it's not too much to expect people to respect the environment and leave no trace of where they've been.

And it would be a bad idea, can you imagine the state of some of the most scenic routes in the country if people thought it would be fine to dump their litter on the ground? It's not like they're going to dissolve on contact with the road.

Sauve

ThisRegard wrote: »

Because it's not too much to expect people to respect the environment and leave no trace of where they've been.

And it would be a bad idea, can you imagine the state of some of the most scenic routes in the country if people thought it would be fine to dump their litter on the ground? It's not like they're going to dissolve on contact with the road.

Unfortunately a lot of people already do. I wouldn't think it would make any more people than already do chuck their sachets away, because if it's ingrained into you not to litter, you won't suddenly start.
All it would do is make the wrappers that are going to be thrown on the road regardless, less harmful to the environment and less of an eyesore when they eventually degrade.

Puggy

Banana's don't grow here, so there's nothing natural about discarding it when you've eaten the best part. If you were able to carry the banana, why cant you carry the skin home? Pooping is 100% natural, but you wouldn't toss it over a ditch you ya?

Oh, been a lurker here for ages, waiting on the right post to come along!

Roger Hassenforder

Puggy wrote: »

Banana's don't grow here, so there's nothing natural about discarding it when you've eaten the best part. If you were able to carry the banana, why cant you carry the skin home? Pooping is 100% natural, but you wouldn't toss it over a ditch you ya?

Oh, been a lurker here for ages, waiting on the right post to come along!

a banana skin in a ditch has a low risk of killing you!

Sauve

Puggy wrote: »

Banana's don't grow here, so there's nothing natural about discarding it when you've eaten the best part.

What?!
This is a new one on me. Should I refrain from putting it in my compost bin when I get home too?

detones

A banana skin lobbed in a road ditch or hedgerow is fine. I do it all the time and am very conscious of doing anything to damage or hurt the environment. Like others have mentioned seeing gel wrappers thrown does piss me off. Had a gentlemans disagreement with some ignorant b@llox on the Tour of Sligo about this very issue.

What really upsets me is the amount of fly tipping I witness now on a spin. There are beautiful parts of the country around here in Noth County Dublin strewn with open bin bags, mattresses, washing machines etc. we as a nation have an awful attitude to littering.

Captain Havoc

There are biodegradable gel wrappers but they look terrible for whatever period of time they stay there. As a farmer, I don't see any issue if someone threw a banana skin or apple core into our fields. As for the banana skin that was there for a year, I call BS.

mathepac

Con41 wrote: »

Just wondering what the etiquetee is with regard to throwing banana skins into a field when cyclling in the country. Is this considered to be littering? ...

Yes. It has nothing to do with etiquette. Why is it necessary to ask the question?

mathepac

Sauve wrote: »

... Should I refrain from putting it in my compost bin when I get home too?...

In the confines of your own home feel free to whatever you want with your rubbish. In public you might want to consider the effect on a younger generation's attitude to littering the sight of adults on bikes flinging rubbish around willy-nilly has.

MugMugs

Puggy wrote: »

Pooping is 100% natural, but you wouldn't toss it over a ditch you ya?

Get caught short enough and you will, yes.

Spend a lot of time outdoors. Rivers, Mountains and a lot of road biking and I will not hesitate to throw a Banana Skin or Orange skin into a ditch.

I wouldn't throw it on a footpath in a town but out in the countryside, I see no issue with a ditch (just make sure the sticker has been removed)

Lumen

wildefalcon wrote: »

Having had to explain to a 3 year old why he couldn't throw his apple juice carton away, when his mother said it was ok to throw an apple butt away, I now believe that if you don't own the place, don't leave your discards there.

mathepac wrote: »

In the confines of your own home feel free to whatever you want with your rubbish. In public you might want to consider the effect on a younger generation's attitude to littering the sight of adults on bikes flinging rubbish around willy-nilly has.

Won't someone think of the children!

el tel

GreeBo wrote: »

Other than the fact that they are naturally occurring, as opposed to say a gel wrapper?

I don't see your point. Litter is litter, regardless if it has a natural origin.

When you finishing eating a banana in the house do you throw it into the garden or go out and stick it in someone's hedge? Likewise an apple or orange or the remnants of your dinner?

ThisRegard

el tel wrote: »

Likewise an apple or orange or the remnants of your
dinner?

There's a cranky oul lad around the corner from me. When we're walking by his house and the dogs slow down for a sniff around his shrubbery he's up banging at the window and gesturing at me to piss off.

But the same bloke throws food waste onto the green directly across from his house for cats. If the cats decide they don't like that particular meal it'll be left there to decompose before my dogs sniff it out and have a good roll around in some absolute stinking mess.

Tommy Dillon

el tel wrote: »

I don't see your point. Litter is litter, regardless if it has a natural origin.

When you finishing eating a banana in the house do you throw it into the garden or go out and stick it in someone's hedge? Likewise an apple or orange or the remnants of your dinner?

I actually do bring it out to the garden and throw it in my own hedge. Its good for the plants... Sure its the same as putting it in a compost bin... I really cant see the harm in this at all. Doing a favour if anything