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Is this "littering"?

radcen

radcen

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You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
 
I think... yes... it would still be littering. But to be honest, it wouldnt bother me as much as seeing someone toss trash out a window.
 
Hmm. Not really littering since it is no different than an apple falling from a tree. It will rot and go back into the earth naturally. Still...most apple trees don't grow on asphalt surrounded by asphalt or cement..so yeah, it could be considered littering since whomever tossed it out the window has no sense of right and wrong.
 
Food scraps being thrown out the window of a vehicle would probably land in the street, then animals which don't usually spend much time in the street will be attracted to the food scraps, once one of those animals are hit and killed by a car then that fresh roadkill will start attracting other scavenger animals. Maybe when one of your loved ones gets run down in the street while trying to rescue one of those injured creatures...........

Meh, it's not littering if you asked me, it's more like murder.
 
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On a small scale, it's littering. Throwing crud on the ground and making a location unsightly or stinky is littering. On a larger scale it isn't littering. It's not harming the Earth because it's biodegradable.
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
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I don't consider it littering, but try to toss it in the grass instead of the road way.
 
The world is not your personal trash can, stop throwing **** out your cars. Especially something that big, you can cause an accident to boot.
Biodegradable doesn't make it "not trash", at best it makes it "less trash".
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...

yes, it's littering. the road is not the compost pile.
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. This is doubly true when tossing such into the highway grass.
 
Yeah, it's littering and I'd be pissed if I saw someone do it in my neighborhood.
 
I guess I'm on the fence. The more urban places are understandable, but if you're driving next to a field with a banana peel then I'd toss it. Fertilizer.
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...



Nah. Ants have to eat too.
 
Think of it this way. What if they were walking down the street and threw it in to your front yard?
 
Littering isn't about protecting the environment. If you took it home and threw it in the trash it would just end up in a landfill anyway. It's about protecting the health and safety of our living space. Throwing small biodegradable things out on the highway isn't any kind of hazard-- but according to the broken window theory it will lead to people throwing more dangerous litter onto the road.

So don't worry about raping Mother Earth with your banana peel or hamburger wrapper-- which is just as biodegradable-- but do worry about the $1000 fine.
 
Viktyr Korimir said:
Littering isn't about protecting the environment. If you took it home and threw it in the trash it would just end up in a landfill anyway. It's about protecting the health and safety of our living space. Throwing small biodegradable things out on the highway isn't any kind of hazard-- but according to the broken window theory it will lead to people throwing more dangerous litter onto the road.

So don't worry about raping Mother Earth with your banana peel or hamburger wrapper-- which is just as biodegradable-- but do worry about the $1000 fine.
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The broken window theory makes more sense to me than any potential hazard... fines notwithstanding.

Styrofoam cup may have been a better example for non-biodegradable.
 
mattillac said:
Food scraps being thrown out the window of a vehicle would probably land in the street, then animals which don't usually spend much time in the street will be attracted to the food scraps, once one of those animals are hit and killed by a car then that fresh roadkill will start attracting other scavenger animals. Maybe when one of your loved ones gets run down in the street while trying to rescue one of those injured creatures...........

Meh, it's not littering if you asked me, it's more like murder.
Click to expand...

You are joking? Right?
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...

By definition it is litter in most states. But it may depend on where it is discarded. I know your example uses a road and in that case it is usually considered litter. But if you dump it in your back yard it is not.

The definition that fits most laws is: Anything that is discarded on public or private property that is considered refuse.
 
radcen said:
This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't do it , i'd put it in a bin, but i wouldn't have as big a problem with a banana peel as i would say a biodegradable diaper. They should never be tossed. Just no. That is disgusting.
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...

Same thing as throwing a hamburger wrapper out the window. (That biodegrades as well, of course.) The roadside is not a compost pile.
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...

I'm more or less fine with it, but I'd prefer it land somewhat out of sight, and it needs to be off the road and still in a public right-of-way. Apple cores, pizza crust, banana peels, peanut shells - pretty much any food or perishable item I'd be ok with. I'd like people to be respectful of others' work to keep things looking nice, too, though. So, if it lasts very long, I'm an adament "no". If it lasts about the same amount of time as a dead bird or squirrel, I'm basically "ok". If it's gone in a day "go for it" (pour your softdrink out the window).

If it lands in someone's yard, it's wrong. If it hits someone it's wrong.

But, even if it's ethically ok, I have no problems for people getting ticketed for it regardless - how's a policeman supposed to know if you threw out an apple or a can of coke from 200' away?
 
radcen said:
You're in the car. You see a person throw a banana peel out the window. Is that littering in the same sense that throwing a paper hamburger wrapper out the window would be littering? Please note that this question is not seeking the legal or dictionary definition. This question is asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable.
Click to expand...
Is your intent to redefine "littering" or to clarify what falls between the literal and legal definitions of littering ?
 
Disputatious71 said:
Is your intent to redefine "littering" or to clarify what falls between the literal and legal definitions of littering ?
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The intent is to promote a discussion and see what other people's individual opinions are regarding what qualifies to them as littering, based on an observance by a friend of mine that she posted on Facebook.
 
radcen said:
The intent is to promote a discussion and see what other people's individual opinions are regarding what qualifies to them as littering, based on an observance by a friend of mine that she posted on Facebook.
Click to expand...

Your premise of "not seeking the legal or dictionary definition and only asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable" makes the discussion irrelevant to littering but rather a question of morals and conscience.
 
Disputatious71 said:
Your premise of "not seeking the legal or dictionary definition and only asking if tossing something that is biodegradable is the same level as tossing something that is non-biodegradable" makes the discussion irrelevant to littering but rather a question of morals and conscience.
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Duly noted.
 
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