Is this littering?

[Flexilexy]

You're in a car, eating an apple. You finish, roll down the window, chuck the core out. It lands in the grass bank at the side of the road.

Just to set an picture of the scenario;

It's an A-road, through the country side (no pavements) and a main route so busy, and nowhere that you'd be able to stop to properly dispose of the apple core. You don't have anything to wrap up the apple core to keep hold of it until you reach your destination. Your only other option would be to hold it for the rest of your journey.

(Order of options is not an indication of my thoughts).

Is it littering to throw an apple core out of the window?

YABU - Throwing an apple out the window is littering and filthy.
YANBU - Throwing an apple core out of the window is not littering. It will decompose.

Very few apples bought in the UK are actually British species though.
They may bring disease etc

Take your rubbish home ffs. Filthy people

Absolutely no reason to throw it out of the window or need to hold it, just put it on the floor of the car on the passenger side until you get to the destination.
Its an apple core not a pile of puke.

Absolutely fine!
Think about all the little woodland creatures (probably rats but never mind) who will enjoy nibbling on your core. And a tree might grow!

In terms of the environment disposing of an apple core outside is better for the environment as it goes back into the earth. There are a few points to consider though. If you do dispose outside it should not be near roads. Animals are attracted to food which can then end up as roadkill. Also worth knowing that dogs and cats shouldn’t eat apple seeds due to the cyanide that they contain so you shouldn’t dispose of them in popular dog walking spots or in the street etc.

Yes it is littering. Highways England had a whole campaign about not attracting animals to the roadside by littering food debris as this makes them more vulnerable to being run over. Perhaps not that relevant to apple cores, but maybe.

Don't throw rubbish from cars. It's not a good look.

I think it is littering and encourages animals to forage very close to the roads. This is problem when said animal is large enough to cause a car accident.
I think in a bush in the countryside is more acceptable but really, take it home and
throw it into your own garden.

It's like the plastic bags of dog poo. A poo in a hedge is better than a poo wrapped in plastic... so surely an apple core in the hedge is better than an apple core in a bin bag in land fill...

Hhhmm, an interesting mix of responses.

Reasons not to:

1. how good a throw can you achieve? Are you really sure it won't hit something, bounce off and end up distracting the driver behind you for example? Driving is the most statistically dangerous thing most of us do, why make it even slightly more dangerous?

2. it takes up to two months to degrade.

3. might not be a problem if one person does it, but would be an issue if everyone did. So if not everyone is OK to do it,why are you special?

4. could attract wildlife into a dangerous roadside situation they would.otherwise not be in.

5. it's against rule 147 of the Highway Code. And potentially subject to fines.

Reasons to do it:

1. "but I don't want a smelly apple core in the footwell of my car and I couldn't possibly either survive the journey without a snack or plan a proper stop somewhere with a bin <<waaaah>>"

Interesting responses. I HATE littering with a passion - there is absolutely never an excuse or reason that could possibly justify it. If I got magic powers to sort stuff out I’d be using it for that first and severely (and probably irrationally) punishing offenders

I wouldn’t include Apple cores in that setting mass of unresolved rage however. I think the ‘don’t chuck it at the side of the road as it will attract foraging wildlife’ is a good argument but otherwise really can’t get upset about it.

It’s not littering. In a field or hedgerow it’ll probably provide food for some animals, or will decompose, adding to nutrition in the soil for plants to grow. That’s better than putting it in landfill where it achieves nothing.

Tucked in a hedgerow - not littering
Chucked on a grass verge - littering

Take it home and put it on your own compost or the Council food waste bin for recycling.
Doesn't have to add to landfill.

My friend found a lady trying to tip a car full of hedge clippings in her hedge. The lady said it was fine because it would just rot down. My friend said 'imagine how high the heap will be if all your neighbours do the same', and made her load up on threat of sending the video to the council.

Imagine if an apple core was thrown out of every passing car, or even 1% of them.

The pavements and sides of the road would be knee deep in apple cores.

Just take it home and put it in a bin FFS. Or if you don't think it's littering, throw it in your own garden.

Throwing anything out of your car is littering. Doesn't matter if it will be food for animals, who shouldn't be that close to the road anyway.
Do you throw your apple core in the garden at home?

I don't think an apple core is the worst thing really, but I do think the logic of chucking it because you had no other option is flawed. You did have the option to just leave it in the footwell until you got home.

It's a bit like people who use the excuse of a full public bin to leave all their picnic rubbish at the side of it, when in reality they just don't want to take it home with them.

I love discovering feral apple trees.

There are a lot around here, grown from the seeds of discarded apple cores. As they don't grow true from seed, it's always a bit of a lottery as far as taste is concerned but most are nice. They provide an excellent source of food for wildlife as well.

I would certainly leave an unwanted apple core in a suitable place, not thrown from a car in a built up area or motorway.

I might do it but yes, technically it's littering. Also, my car is often full of apple cores left there by my DS and I can report that they aren't smelly, they tend to go all dry and shrivelled. I try to make sure they all get taken out and thrown away, but it doesn't always happen.

Christ alive, some of the responses!

Yes, it’s absolutely fine to chuck an apple core (because that’s the item under discussion) onto a grass verge or a hedgerow.

This.

God, the pearl clutching on here.

What about all those naughty NAUGHTY mummy apple trees, eh? Littering their apple children onto the GROUND!!! The LAND that belongs to someone else!! KNEE DEEP in apple cores it is, you hear!!!

All over the world - fruit trees!! So irresponsible - they should put their babies in a plastic bag and tissues and more plastic and in the BIN!

I feel the absolute need to Virtue Signal how very responsible I am with my tissues and plastic bags!

If it lands on grass it's littering. If it lands in a hedge or in bushes it's fine as it will be eaten by animals and decompose.

Attracting wildlife to the busy A roads not a wise idea - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-68283813