Throwing stuff out the window

[poppy]

Growing up, my family never littered . But if we ate an apple in the car, we were allowed to chuck the core out the window. Because bugs and chipmunks would take care of it (and in retrospect ; they didn't want apple cores in the car). We lived in the country ... obviously, you wouldn't throw it in someone's yard. But the highway was fair game too. Also , now that I'm thinking about it , we threw gum out the window too . Once it flew back in and got on my dads car seat and never really came out ...a powder blue 80s Chevy Celebrity.

 

Did you throw apple cores or anything else out the window as a kid? Do you let your kids do it?

[SparklyUnicorn]

Never did that.  Would not let my kids do that.

Mind you, I live in a city though and that's the kind of driving I normally do.  Although, I still don't think I could bring myself to throw anything out the window.  This is not to say I think there is anything wrong with the apple core in the scenarios you described. 

 

Once was at the park up the street and a kid had a plastic wrapper from a Popsicle.  Heard the parent specifically instruct the kid to throw it on the ground.  What the... :glare:

[Joyofsixreboot]

Yep, natural matter goes out the window. I live rurally.

 

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[MEmama]

No and no. It wouldn't even occur to us that it would be okay.

 

When I was a kid back in the 70s and 80s it was very common to see people throw stuff out their car windows. It was disgusting even then. I never, ever see it now thank goodness.

 

As a side note, bike racers can be disqualified and banned from racing venues if they litter during a race (banana peels, gu wrappers, etc). I'm always glad to here those announcements at my son's races and thankful that the very basics of civilized society are taken seriously.

[Ottakee]

Apple cores would go out the window if not saved for the horses....but we are rural. We would not throw them out in town.

[GailV]

Nope, no throwing out the window.

 

Apple cores by the side of the road bring rodents to the side of the road.  Rodents by the side of the road bring birds of prey to the side of the road, where they end up being struck by cars since they're focused on their prey while diving.

 

Plus, of course, the entire blowing-back-into-the-car scenario.

[marbel]

I don't remember doing so as a kid, but we might have.  I don't see the harm in an apple core, orange peels, etc, getting tossed into the ditch by the roadside in the country.  It would only be fruit and vegetable matter.  I wouldn't throw unwanted cheetos or fries out the window.   (This thread reminded me of the time I saw some kid feeding cheetos to deer in Yosemite.)

 

ETA: After reading posts about food attracting animals to the roadside to get hit... hmm.... never thought of that, I think I just changed my mind.

Edited June 19, 2017 by marbel

[ktgrok]

Nope, no throwing out the window.

 

Apple cores by the side of the road bring rodents to the side of the road.  Rodents by the side of the road bring birds of prey to the side of the road, where they end up being struck by cars since they're focused on their prey while diving.

 

Plus, of course, the entire blowing-back-into-the-car scenario.

 

We were allowed to with biodegradable food products like apples as a kid, but I don't now or allow my kids to do so because of the above. Also, it's a big reason opossums are hit by cars...they smell the food/gum/etc and go out to get it and get hit. 

[MEmama]

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

 

Fwiw, it takes 2 years for those banana peels and orange skins to decompose when you toss them out your window.

 

Something to think about.

[mykidsrmyjoy]

We never threw paper trash out, but apple cores and such we did, and still do. But we live in a rural area, we would never throw it out in town where it might land in someone's yard.

[Carrie12345]

I can't imagine throwing anything out the window of a moving vehicle.

 

I do, however, chuck things in my own woods/"yard" from time to time, like Jacko lanterns that would throw my compost into an imbalancE or Christmas trees that take forever. And I know the kids leave peels and cores in the woods. We probably shouldn't because we have overpopulation problems and bears are a nuisance!

[Rachel]

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

 

Fwiw, it takes 2 years for those banana peels and orange skins to decompose when you toss them out your window.

 

Something to think about.

I don't think it takes that long for bananas to decompose, based on my experience I think it's more like a couple months. I did some other searches and have seen 8 weeks to 7 months mentioned, none appeared to be reputable sources though.

 

I eat a lot of bananas, they were the primary component of our compost bin for awhile and the peels shriveled pretty quickly. Maybe it depends on the climate where you live. Now I want to experiment.

[MEmama]

I don't think it takes that long for bananas to decompose, based on my experience I think it's more like a couple months. I did some other searches and have seen 8 weeks to 7 months mentioned, none appeared to be reputable sources though.

 

I eat a lot of bananas, they were the primary component of our compost bin for awhile and the peels shriveled pretty quickly. Maybe it depends on the climate where you live. Now I want to experiment.

No doubt it depends on climate, of course. I do know that it takes years for them to break down in my compost bin that is frozen half the year but otherwise well maintained.

 

Regardless, I'm shocked people consider it okay to litter at all. I guess it's like picking wild flowers on the side of the road--what if EVERYONE did it? I don't want to go back to the 70s when trash was everywhere. What's so hard about hanging onto your apple core until you get home?

[mom@shiloh]

Biodegradable stuff, yes; and mostly apple cores.  We are always careful to throw far, far, from the road into a wooded area. We live in a rural area.

[alisoncooks]

We did (in the 80s). I lived in a rural area growing up.

[OneStepAtATime]

Saw it a lot as a kid and friends did it with biodegradable stuff out their car window but we were not allowed to chuck anything out the window. I lived both city and rural depending on the year.

[Scarlett]

No doubt it depends on climate, of course. I do know that it takes years for them to break down in my compost bin that is frozen half the year but otherwise well maintained.

 

Regardless, I'm shocked people consider it okay to litter at all. I guess it's like picking wild flowers on the side of the road--what if EVERYONE did it? I don't want to go back to the 70s when trash was everywhere. What's so hard about hanging onto your apple core until you get home?

This makes me laugh to think of an apple core out the window in the rurals would be considered shocking to anyone. I would never do it in the city. And I never throw anything non biodegradable out.

 

Reminds me of traveling cross country with my grandmother in the late 70s. She was in the front seat and she rolled her windows to pour out the ice in her fast food cup. My brother and I clearly saw her let go of the cup. We said,'Grandma!' She says, 'what? It slipped'.

 

 

LOL.

[edelweiss]

No, we were never allowed to throw anything out the window. It would never occur to me to do so now.

[Jaybee]

In rural areas, biodegradable food items, yes (still). Anything else, no. I don't consider natural food leftovers as "litter" any more than I would apples that have fallen on the ground from an apple tree--unless thrown on a sidewalk or other area where people walk and meet. Paper, plastic, cans, etc., definitely litter.

 

ETA: As a pp, we always try to throw those cores away from the side of the road.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Jaybee

[rocassie]

Organic material - when I was a kid, yes.  Now I don't even do that because it attracts animals to the road which can get the animals killed or potentially cause an accident.

[cjzimmer1]

We were allowed to throw biodegradable food items out the window providing there was no other car anywhere nearby(to make sure it wouldn't accidently bounce/blow on the other car not because we were hiding it) and only on the passenger side (to further help ensure in ended up in the ditch).  We lived in a rural area and mostly traveled in rural areas, I do remember a few occasions of throwing things on a highway/interstate but they were very rare.  I live in a busier area now so the opportunities to throw things out are pretty rare but if we were in a rural area, I'd still let my kids toss it out.

[Pawz4me]

A bit OT but I've never understood the whole eating-in-the-car thing. We didn't do it as kids and . . . I've just never done it.  A drink, yes. The occasional pack of crackers, maybe. That's maybe like once every year or two on a road trip. But not as a routine thing by any means.

 

But I don't think I'd give a second thought to throwing something like an apple core out a window in a rural area. Not in someone's yard, of course.

[AnnE-girl]

I think the only thing I've ever thrown out a car window was an occasional hair I found on my clothes. I wouldn't clean out my brush and throw the whole wad of hair out, but a couple of hairs here and there doesn't seem like a big deal.

[creekland]

Add us to those who throw biodegradable natural food waste back to nature unless we're on our way home. Then it gets saved for our chickens. Adding unnecessary food waste to garbage cans and dumps seems incredibly wrong.

 

We have no plans to change.

 

I wish folks who smoke would quit tossing cigarette butts out everywhere though, and of course one should respect yards, etc.

[SparklyUnicorn]

A bit OT but I've never understood the whole eating-in-the-car thing. We didn't do it as kids and . . . I've just never done it.  A drink, yes. The occasional pack of crackers, maybe. That's maybe like once every year or two on a road trip. But not as a routine thing by any means.

 

But I don't think I'd give a second thought to throwing something like an apple core out a window in a rural area. Not in someone's yard, of course.

 

Growing up we'd specifically go out and eat in the car sometimes.  I always found that to be rather weird and not comfortable.  But yep.  I never do that now.

 

The car was like a weird thing growing up.  We'd take joy/leisurely rides.  Park and eat.  Go to the drive in and sit in the car (of course).  We did a ton of stuff in the car.  Now?  I wouldn't dream of doing any of that.

[marbel]

A bit OT but I've never understood the whole eating-in-the-car thing. We didn't do it as kids and . . . I've just never done it.  A drink, yes. The occasional pack of crackers, maybe. That's maybe like once every year or two on a road trip. But not as a routine thing by any means.

 

But I don't think I'd give a second thought to throwing something like an apple core out a window in a rural area. Not in someone's yard, of course.

 

Well, your car is probably a lot cleaner than mine because of that!  :-)

 

We eat in the car for various reasons. When we have a long road trip, we'll sometimes stop for breakfast sandwiches and eat them on the road.  Lunch or substantial snacks, too, when we don't want to take the time to stop for a meal.   Or we'll stop for a meal and then eat cookies in the car as dessert.

 

When I was working full time during the day and going to school at night, a frequent dinner for me was a bag of microwaved popcorn and a can of diet coke, eaten in rush hour traffic trying to get to school.  

 

We've sometimes just been so starving on the way home from the grocery store that we'll open something we just bought.  That's poor planning, and not a good practice, to be sure, but sometimes that's the way it works out.  

 

Long ago, when I was young and single, I took a 6-hour road trip every summer, alone.  I'd eat popcorn or something similar along the way to stave off boredom, which can lead to getting sleepy.

 

I never threw anything out of the car.  :-)

[Ausmumof3]

Yes to biodegradable food waste in rural areas with no houses only. Also definitely not in a fruit growers type area because we don't want to spread disease.

 

We are pretty hot on people that flick cigarette butts because of the fire risk. And the fast food wrapper dumpers are despicable people...

[maize]

I don't remember throwing things out of car windows but when we lived on the farm we would toss things like apple cores and watermelon rinds off into the weeds at the edge of the garden.

[jen3kids]

I used to throw biodegradables out the window, but when I started volunteering at the local Nature Centre I was told that was the main cause of raptors getting hit by cars.

 

The hawk ( or other hunting bird) swoops down to get the chipmunk that is nibbling on the apple core and gets hit by a car.

[Desert Strawberry]

It has never occurred to me to throw something out a window. I grew up in a large city, but live rurally now, and for the past 15 years or so. 

 

I do toss food crumbs or small scraps on the ground. like strawberry tops or the broken crackers for the bottom of a carseat. Let the small creatures have it. 

[vonfirmath]

Growing up, my family never littered . But if we ate an apple in the car, we were allowed to chuck the core out the window. Because bugs and chipmunks would take care of it (and in retrospect ; they didn't want apple cores in the car). We lived in the country ... obviously, you wouldn't throw it in someone's yard. But the highway was fair game too. Also , now that I'm thinking about it , we threw gum out the window too . Once it flew back in and got on my dads car seat and never really came out ...a powder blue 80s Chevy Celebrity.

 

Did you throw apple cores or anything else out the window as a kid? Do you let your kids do it?

 

Absolutely not.  We had a huge "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign when I was a kid - -and I don't think it discriminated based on what you threw out your window.

 

My mom kept a trash bag in the car. All trash went in there.  when full it was thrown into a trash can (either at home, or a gas station if on the road)

[poppy]

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

 

Fwiw, it takes 2 years for those banana peels and orange skins to decompose when you toss them out your window.

 

Something to think about.

 

Well then better in the grass than taking up space in a landfill !!

 

But I do doubt it really takes that long , or at least, in sure it doesn't that long for the matter to be no longer recognizably 'banana '. I have seen full deer carcasses by the side of the road that lasted a couple months (getting gnarlier day by day).

 

I'm glad to see my parents weren't super weird in letting us chuck apples out the window. And by 'chuck' I do mean throw as far as you can.

[kewb]

As a kid we threw apple cores out the window and my kids do the same.  But only in unpopulated areas.  Never someone's lawn.  I only wish people extended that same courtesy towards my property.

[Anne in CA]

When I was young we picked up a lot of cans and bottles by the side of the road to make money remodeling. I used to be surprised how many people drank beer and threw the bottles out. Now I realize we had one neighbor who probably always drank a six pack on the way home from town and pitched the cans in the ditch right before he got home. 

[mom@shiloh]

When I was young we picked up a lot of cans and bottles by the side of the road to make money remodeling. I used to be surprised how many people drank beer and threw the bottles out. Now I realize we had one neighbor who probably always drank a six pack on the way home from town and pitched the cans in the ditch right before he got home. 

When we lived in an area where there was a cash refund for aluminum cans, my kids would frequently go out and gather them.  We'd save the money up for a year and then go to an amusement park with it.  Win/win.

 

And.... people throwing cigarette butts out.  :rant:

[mamaraby]

No, and it would never occur to me. We hold our trash and take care of it when we get home or arrive at our destination. I even hold on to recyclables when traveling if unable to find a recycling bin and put them in my bin at home. It's really not that hard. The same can be said for compostables.

[SKL]

Yes, it's OK if you're in a rural area, if it's food or similarly biodegradable.

 

Did we throw things out the window as kids?  Well yes, we had a whole spitwad production center back by the rear-facing seat.  We could roll down the rear window and let them fly.  No, my parents did not approve, but we didn't exactly ask permission.  :P  Would I let my kids do that, no ....

[EMS83]

Never. My mom would have had a conniption. And I guess because of that, we don't now. But I also limit food in the car as much as possible.

[SKL]

No doubt it depends on climate, of course. I do know that it takes years for them to break down in my compost bin that is frozen half the year but otherwise well maintained.

 

Regardless, I'm shocked people consider it okay to litter at all. I guess it's like picking wild flowers on the side of the road--what if EVERYONE did it? I don't want to go back to the 70s when trash was everywhere. What's so hard about hanging onto your apple core until you get home?

 

I guess to me it doesn't matter whether an apple core gets eaten by critters / composts in a rural ditch / forest or in my backyard.

 

I don't think it's morally superior to put it in the garbage can ....

[SKL]

What annoys me is people who leave dirty diapers anywhere other than their appropriate receptacle.  I've had people argue with me that there is good reason to do this.  "My car would have really stunk otherwise."  OK ....  Unfortunately it's not just one person doing that once in a while.

 

And on the subject of long-lasting nasty garbage, I have to say I'm conflicted about the current dog poop rules.  Is it really better to have all these little plastic poop bags in the landfills?  I don't have a dog, so I'm not looking for excuses, it doesn't seem very earth-friendly to me.

[Miss Peregrine]

We throw organic food matter out in our rural area. We always try to throw it far off the road for the animal issue.

[Miss Peregrine]

With our wildlife, no way would a banana be around for two years. It would probably be gone in minutes.

[kewb]

What annoys me is people who leave dirty diapers anywhere other than their appropriate receptacle. I've had people argue with me that there is good reason to do this. "My car would have really stunk otherwise." OK .... Unfortunately it's not just one person doing that once in a while.

 

And on the subject of long-lasting nasty garbage, I have to say I'm conflicted about the current dog poop rules. Is it really better to have all these little plastic poop bags in the landfills? I don't have a dog, so I'm not looking for excuses, it doesn't seem very earth-friendly to me.

Having been a kid pre-pooper scooper laws it is much nicer not having to navigate dog poop everywhere. I also get where you are coming from in regards to landfills full of plastic bags of poops.

[goldberry]

Rural, yes apple cores or small food remains.  No, don't consider that "litter".  We have so many critters around it would be gone by the end of the day in this area.

 

Something else to add to the mix, someone once scolded me for pouring the last bits of a soda out in a parking lot.  I have always done that on occasion so the drink doesn't spill in the car (from a cup, like you get at McDonalds or something.) It dissipates in a couple of minutes, and I never pour it right next to someone's car. But this person considered that "littering".  ??

[catz]

Oh my gosh, no never.  Not growing up and not now.  We do compost.  I'm known to bring compost and recycling stuff home to take care of.

[Anne in CA]

What annoys me is people who leave dirty diapers anywhere other than their appropriate receptacle.  I've had people argue with me that there is good reason to do this.  "My car would have really stunk otherwise."  OK ....  Unfortunately it's not just one person doing that once in a while.

 

And on the subject of long-lasting nasty garbage, I have to say I'm conflicted about the current dog poop rules.  Is it really better to have all these little plastic poop bags in the landfills?  I don't have a dog, so I'm not looking for excuses, it doesn't seem very earth-friendly to me.

LOL, people pull up to our restaurant, take dirty diapers out of their car, and put them in the flower planters out front. My kids made a super cute diorama for one of the flowerpots. Yesterday someone took out their stuff and put a huge poopy diaper and empty starbucks cups there. These people are not customers, they are just jerks. And I am certain their children will grow up to believe they are special snowflakes just like their parents whose littler is more important than any boundaries other people might want.

[Farrar]

Yes, as a kid we threw that stuff out the window - biodegradable only, like apple cores or a bit of sandwich crust or something. I did grow up rural.

 

Now I wouldn't do it. I don't have an objection to it in a general sense, but I know that it attracts small animals to the road. And usually those small animals are plentiful, so that's not a huge deal... but then those animals in turn become roadkill and attract carrion birds or just attract birds of prey before they can get hit. And that's bad for the birds, who are less plentiful. It's messing up the food chain. So we try not to do it.

[Farrar]

It's funny to me that so many people grew up thinking that was a huge no no. I mean, THIS wasn't that far back in our history...

 

[creekland]

 I even hold on to recyclables when traveling if unable to find a recycling bin and put them in my bin at home. It's really not that hard. 

 

We do this for recyclables too.  I hate putting things into the garbage that don't need to be there (including food waste).  At home food waste that doesn't go to the chickens or our compost pile gets left out in the woods away from our house.  It doesn't last long.

 

Rural, yes apple cores or small food remains.  No, don't consider that "litter".  We have so many critters around it would be gone by the end of the day in this area.

 

Something else to add to the mix, someone once scolded me for pouring the last bits of a soda out in a parking lot.  I have always done that on occasion so the drink doesn't spill in the car (from a cup, like you get at McDonalds or something.) It dissipates in a couple of minutes, and I never pour it right next to someone's car. But this person considered that "littering".  ??

 

We pour unwanted drinks on grass (not someone's yard!) rather than on pavement where someone can step on it and get their feet sticky.  Even in parking lots, there are usually islands out of the way.

[historically accurate]

We threw apple cores out the windows as a kid. I don't think I have done it as an adult. My kids only like apples sliced ("Back in my day, you picked it up and started gnawing..." as I shake my cane at them), so they don't eat apples in the car and it hasn't come up.

 

I have poured a drink on grass next to a parking lot so I can throw away the McD's cup.