Was walking with the missus in the countryside the other day and after I’d finished my banana I wizzed it into the undergrowth. Missus accused me of being a litter bug,

I was quite surprised, obviously wouldn’t dream of doing that with a crisp packet or sweet wrapper but surely apple cores, banana skins and other organic matter are ok?, especially if you throw them where they can’t be seen?

I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but if hundreds of people were doing the same thing, it would start to be a problem. Is it really that much of an issue to take it home?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/dropping-a-banana-skin-dilemma

Banana skins I believe take absolute ages to decompose compared to apples………and robins and other wildlife font eat them!

What about apple cores ….. Same dilemma?

Banana skins I believe take absolute ages to decompose compared to apples………and robins and other wildlife font eat them!

The banana skin I left on my lawn went black and had disappeared with in 2 weeks so me thinks that is a bit of an urban myth.

also Blackbirds love apple and I chuck the cores on the lawn and gone pretty fast

I don’t really see the issue if they aren’t visible, e.g. long undergrowth away from a path, trail etc. I wouldn’t chuck them where they could be seen by other people obviously. Surely a lot more environmentally friendly than putting them in a plastic bag, taking them home and them ending up in landfill?

As someone who regularly collects the rubbish left by mountain bikers on my local trails I would suggest you are a litter bug. Not perhaps in the same league as those that drop their lucozade bottles, Red Bull cans and their sticky gel sachets and tabs, however if you can carry it on to the trails then there is no reason not to take it home with you.

Litter. Take it home, everything*
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I do wildy pee’s, but poops are buried. EVRYTHING else goes out with me. I have had a DofE group in an icy loch picking up the pasta they slung in there when washing up once.

They do not decompose in Scotland especially at altitude. Ben Nevis and Cairngorms are covered in them. Too many nutrients in the wrong place also mess with the plant life. This also includes scattering of ashes.

Litter bug

Thought they would be gone in a few weeks and if in the undergrowth not visible is it an issue? On a cold mountain I can see it could take much longer and if visible that is obviously unacceptable. Will chuck one in my hedge tomorrow to see how long it takes.

I chuck them in the undergrowth. But then I pick up “proper” rubbish too, restoring balance.

I chuck them in the undergrowth. But then I pick up “proper” rubbish too, restoring balance.

+1, spent a few hours last month when on holiday on the south coast filling a dustbin liner with all the rubbish on the beach so don’t consider myself a litter bug.

….willing to change my ways however if my banana skin experiment in my hedge takes more than a few weeks to disappear.

At high level, cold climates etc, they take ages. But most folks aren’t often riding there. In a FC sitka factory at 500 feet, I chuck ’em. (and yep I bring home tons of other people’s rubbish)

apple cores, banana skins

google “soil enrichment”

you are contributing to the destruction of habitat and the loss of native species

you are contributing to the destruction of habitat and the loss of native species

ermmm, no.

…willing to change my ways however if my banana skin experiment in my hedge takes more than a few weeks to disappear.

devils advocate a bit here, but if a paper bag took only a few weeks to decompose would you be happy screwing it up and chucking it in a hedge when you’re finished? The paper cups we use at work, for example are compostable, so would that be OK?

devils advocate a bit here, but if a paper bag took only a few weeks to decompose would you be happy screwing it up and chucking it in a hedge when you’re finished? or is it just food that’s OK?

Good question but No, because paper could blow back onto the trail/path and be visible and I think it takes a lot longer than a few weeks to decompose.

Bananas are radioactive, you are spreading radioactivity in the environment.

First Chernobyl now this – won’t someone think of the sheep ffs ?

Why are you throwing away good food?!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/457082-what-are-the-benefits-of-eating-banana-peels/

Carry it in? Carry it out. That is the rule anything else and you are lazy.

‘From nature, back to nature’

I was going to say exactly the same as mudmuncher!

There’s bananas in Scotland?

Only on STW ..

Only on STW ..

Not really, no.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/mayo/blog/2010/05/trashy_question_is_tossing_a_b.html

This intrigues me as I’ve had bananas nearly entirely decompose in my Camelbak within a ride

you are contributing to the destruction of habitat and the loss of native species

ermmm, no.

On second thoughts, I’m actually preserving the habitat, providing a tasty treat for the bugs and critters that will go onto feed the birds and mammals and generally increase the diversity and wildlife. Redressing the balance of all the thousands of gallons of pesticides and weedkiller that are pumped into the countryside every day. Those selfish gits who put their banana skins and apple cores into plastic bags and take them home should be ashamed.

Litter. They take an age to decompose and are unsightly in the meantime.

Can’t believe someone linked to Livestrong on a bike forum

Litter. They take an age to decompose and are unsightly in the meantime.

I’m not sure this is true (unless you live in some sort of Arctic tundra). I live in an area that gets a lot of roadie action. A lot on Banana munching lycra louts discarding the skins around these parts. On a monday morning it’s quite possible to spot a few in the bottoms of the hedges as you walk through the village. By Thursday – not to be seen – either the banana fairy has been picking them all up (but leaving all the plastic rubbish that’s still evident) or they have already started to decompose.

It’s probably to be avoided but not the biggest crime in the world. For some reason apple cores feels like less of an issue and I’m not sure that is because the colour is more in keeping or that the area is covered in windfalls anyway so the odd core is an non issue.

Bananas aren’t naturally found growing in the UK countryside therefore its best to take it home and dispose of it properly.

TP – Member

Bananas aren’t naturally found growing in the UK countryside therefore its best to take it home and dispose of it properly.

Are you going to pop out with your axe and flamethrower later and burn all the non-native crops and chop down all the non-native trees? And while you’re at it reforest all the sheepfold?

Bananas aren’t naturally found growing in the UK countryside therefore its best to take it home and dispose of it properly.

By dispose of properly, you mean compost?
I.e let rot to be absorbed into the ground?
The problem with the “It isn’t natural to the UK” argument is that pretty much most of the countryside isn’t natural to the UK. What we’ve got is a bunch on flora and fauna from a variety of places, managed to suit the land owner’s needs. Banana skins (with the exception of tourist mountain paths) are a complete non-event to the course of nature in the UK.

Litter pure and simple in my book. The only reason not to carry back out is that you can’t be arsed. If you’re the only person using the trails/hill/mountain whatever then the decompose argument stands, but there’s plenty of popular trails, summits, etc. that are covered in discarded fruit peel left by folk who want to enjoy the countryside, are happy to walk/bike/climb three hours up a hill to do so, but can’t be bothered to carry a banana/orange peel back down with them.

I believe that you should take only pictures and leave only footprints. I tried to back that up with a stance that many are being overly pedantic on.

There is of course the question of the law.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8331211.stm

I hope you rebels don’t get caught.

I don’t chuck orange peels anywhere, and I wouldn’t chuck a banana skin or apple core on top of a Scottish mountain. But otherwise I happily chuck them in the bushes where they can’t be seen. They start to go soon enough just sitting in the kitchen so I find it hard to believe they won’t disappear pretty quickly in a hedge or the woods.

Is the nutrient enrichment really any worse than the nutrient enrichment of a big jobbie?

Of course, there’s always the risk that due to global warming we’ll end up with our bridleways hemmed in by Banana trees and citrus groves

Tsk tsk, such botanical ignorance – bananas don’t come from trees.