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.

Thing is, your apple core can be food for various things, so if it's chucked far enough, OK. But NOT banana skins - they take years to biodegradable.

Why not eat the whole apple? Then you only need to dispose of the stem.

Yes it's littering. A question for the "I don't care an apple will biodegrade quickly" is how long is an acceptable period for something to decay? If you throw it on the ground, what's the time limit? A day, a month, a year? I ask because everything will biodegrade eventually, plastic will eventually cease to be distinguishable because if the universe lasts long enough eventually all matter will be spread equally throughout it.

Also do you factor in the temperature when making your assessment? I once chucked a segment of orange out of the window at school, it bounced and landed on a little ledge where it sat for about three months before there was any visible sign of decay (mainly because it was an unusually cold winter). An apple core dropped when it's -5C will last longer than one dropped during a hot summer.

I'm just wondering really, where is the line drawn? Is it ok for someone to have a piss up against a brick wall because the rain will wash it away before long?

I mean it's not 'filthy' and yes it will decompose but just stick it on your dashboard till you get home for goodness sake.

If a police officer saw you flinging something out of the window they're more likely to stop and pull you over, and that's a complete waste of their time.

Or just don't eat apples in the car, or make sure you have a little rubbish bag in the glove compartment 🤷‍♂️

It is classed as littering and would result in a fine if you were caught doing it by the council. Dh used to issue said fines. Just don’t throw anything out of your car windows, there’s no need at all.

It is littering, not of the worst kind obviously, but why can't you wrap the apple core in a tissue and take it home?

I wouldn't in case a hedgehog trips over it.

Banana skins take a very long time to decompose, they are litter.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/24/bananas-litter-hikers-mountains-scotland

Mmmm I've always chucked apple cores out hoping some little mouse, bird etc will have an extra source of food. Revising my actions now

I'd chuck an apple core into a hedge, but not just out on a main road. An apple core in a hedgerow won't be around for long and will be eaten by usually many critters.

The list you linked to very clearly shows that they're much less of an issue in the grand scheme of things compared to the other items I mentioned, and those which are obviously litter, like chewing gum.

And a fifteen year old article! The ones described will have been gone for years / many times over, or maybe we just haven't noticed we're all slipping all over them everywhere!

It may be technically littering, but I happily chuck apple cores into the hedgerows and am amazed by the amount of pearl clutching about it on this thread. Will not be stopping.

Agree, I wouldn't think much of this, as long as it wasn't being thrown into someone's garden or a footpath etc.

I really couldn't be concerned about apple cores with the amount of other crap people litter with
Rather apples than plastic, piles of dog shit and just general rubbish

Two things can be simultaneously true:

1. chucking litter out of your car is shitty and inconsiderate behaviour.
2. Apple cores decompose quickly

i dont drop compostable waste outside my house, or encourage guests to shit on the lawn, despite the speedy decomposition rate and the organic nature of the waste. YABU for littering, whatever excuses you make for yourself.

Personally I think throwing food such as fruit or veg (eg apple core, banana skin, orange peel) which will decompose very quickly is fine. As long as it’s into an area where people won’t come across it/spoil the view eg grass verge of a motorway, under a bush on a rural walk. It is not the same as other littering, imo.

I'm not sure on this one

But having played Mario cart I say definitely don't throw banana skins

Yes it is littering. You shouldn't throw anything out of the window. Take your rubbish home

If it's not ok to throw it into someone's garden then it's not ok to throw it into a grass verge. If it will decompose on the grass verge then it will decompose in the garden

It is littering, but personally I don't see a massive problem with throwing fruit since it'll either be eaten by an animal or have decomposed in a couple of months.

Lordy. I sometimes chuck apple cores out of my kitchen window to land under my hedge! Plenty of critters to eat them, especially at this time of year.

Yes it’s littering.

apple cores are also toxic to dogs, not to mention a choking risk.

Presumably you were the passenger so I'm not sure why holding it would be a problem.

I always throw apple cores out the window.

Yes, it's technically littering. But personally I find it hard to get upset about an apple core on a grass verge that no one ever walks on. Different if it's onto a pavement, or in a populated area. But a busy A road verge? Nah.