Apple core: no
Banana peel: yes

Yes, it's litter. One important reason not to do it is that animals will come close to the road to eat it and they get hit that way.

If there is a berry bush or apple tree in the woods and the fruits fall to the ground is the tree littering? Don't the animals eat the fruit that OP threw into the woods?

Honestly, OP, I'd rather see a bunch of ants on your apple core than a dumped toilet or 12 empty, crushed beer cans in the woods. It's not great to do it but it's going to break down a lot sooner than actual non-food trash.

I think it's okay to bury it in the woods, but not just toss it on the ground next to the trail.

I got yelled at once for dropping an APPLE STICKER on the ground.

However, I do judge you OP. Come on now. Rotting trash in the street is gross.

These things do attract vermin. You should not cast off anything like this in an urban area.

Anonymous wrote:I do the same thing with tampons, as they are also biodegradable!

Be careful, I think that banned as part of the no cell phone use law.

I do the same thing with tampons, as they are also biodegradable!

Not that it matters so much in urban areas, but you really should not do this on hikiing trails in the country. Once these wild animals, especially bears, get habituated to people food, they won't go back to foraging. They will literally starve before they forage again. This accounts for all these bears being found in residential areas and camping areas. Which increases the dangers for humans and bears alike. It kills me to see food discards on hiking trails because we are not doing the animals any favors at all.

Anonymous wrote:Well, they are not a thing of beauty for all to enjoy, OP. Why can't you throw them in a trash can?

haha! What, you don't like the look of a lopsided apple core?

If I have a kleenex, napkin or the like, I'll put them in there and then throw away when I get home. But sometimes I don't have anything and just think, it's food, it's not trash. But I see your (and pps) points. I'm not a hiker, so I never considered that they're not being eaten by some critter.

Lesson learned, thanks!

Better if you bury it in the woods, but not as egregious as a soda can. I've been known to bury an apple core under a thick layer of leaves in Rock Creek Park...

Well, they are not a thing of beauty for all to enjoy, OP. Why can't you throw them in a trash can?

Yes. Because when I go for a hike there is now a rotting banana peel in the woods.

Occasionally on the way home from the gym, I'll eat a banana or apple. And occasionally, when I pass the woods about a mile from my house, I'll throw the peel/core out the window, into the woods. Is this littering? When I do it I think, it's biodegradable and some animal is eating it. But I would never do it on a sidewalk, or in a residential area...

So am I littering?