Sunflower seeds equals littering?

[BoiledPeanut]

I like to eat sunflower seeds while hiking. My kids say I am littering by leaving a trail of shells along the trail.

Are my kids correct, or am I offering nature back what was already hers? Don't they decompose quickly?

[Ender]

Personally I don't see it as littering, though I would not drop them all in the same spot, but spread them out so other hikers don't see a big pile of shells.

[Sailing_Faith]

...Years ago there was a thread on Paddling.net about discarding orange peels in the water...

If I recall correctly it went on for a dozen pages and evolved into personal threats.

Seems some folks have very different ideas about what 'Leave No Trace' means... for some
it kinda discourages the dumping of major kitchen appliances in the woods... Others seem to advocate packing out the air you exhale.

Seems to me like organic matter is pretty harmless, we will see what others think.

[AndyB]

they seem to breakdown pretty fast under my birdfeeder. I'm with you on this, tell your kids it's "organic littering". Orange peels in water!! I bet they take a long time to break down.

[Northern Lights]

I don't think it is littering. It will be consumed into the earth with out negative effect. <BR><BR>Now if you follow Leave No Trace to the T then leaving something behind that doesn't naturally appear there, would be a no no. <BR><BR>I've seen worse things than sunflower seeds. Someone left a big old cushion out there.

[Hikes in Rain]

If you are littering, you're in the same company with about a million squirrels!

[skinewmexico]

Tell your kids to lighten up!

[Lone Wolf]

I like to eat sunflower seeds while hiking. My kids say I am littering by leaving a trail of shells along the trail.

Are my kids correct, or am I offering nature back what was already hers? Don't they decompose quickly?

nah, it ain't litter. i toss peanut shells to the side as i walk

[Sailing_Faith]

Tell your kids to lighten up!

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[RevLee]

If it's a pile of shells inside a shelter, it's litter.

Otherwise it could have been carried there by an African or European Swallow.

[leaftye]

I wouldn't want to see them on the trail because that would be distracting/annoying after a while, but it's organic so I don't have a problem with it if I don't see it.

[Rain Man]

...Years ago there was a thread on Paddling.net about discarding orange peels in the water...... Seems to me like organic matter is pretty harmless, we will see what others think.

I consider orange peels to be litter. Bright colored. Dumped right in sight, just like paper litter. Not good. If I see stuff like that, I pick it up and pack it out, and sometimes mumble under my breath about the cretins who can't be bothered and think they are superior to all others, who should pack their litter out for them.

NOW, if the orange peels are buried, truly hidden, or otherwise out of sight, I don't have a problem, as they will decompose. I do toss shells of nuts, but I toss them, I don't just drop them on the path. That is plain rude.

RainMan

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[garlic08]

I agree, no big deal broadcasting a few seed hulls into the woods. If it basically belongs there, it's not litter. I'll toss the occasional apple core into the woods, especially if apple trees grow in the area. But I get upset when I see a citrus rind or banana peel right next to a break spot. Sure, it will eventually decompose (weeks?), but it looks bad until it does, and it does not belong in the North American woods.

Last month I saw a huge pile of apples at a spring-fed watering hole in a high conifer forest above the desert. It looked like someone was trying to attract deer to hunt or poach. The apples were rotting in the water. Disgusting litter, spoiling the water, worse than the empty beer cans where the "hunter" was waiting. It was easy to pack out the cans. "Natural" materials can be litter, too. How about a pile of lumber dumped in the forest? It all depends on scale, and perception.

[Lostone]

An Apple core is that litter????



Leave no Trace's stance is if you bring it in with you.....you should carry it out.

[George]

I would try to spit for distance, same as an apple core, organic material so unseen has no chance to offend/harm

[Lone Wolf]

An Apple core is that litter????



Leave no Trace's stance is if you bring it in with you.....you should carry it out.

LNT stance is mostly foolish

[Spokes]

According to Wikipedia:

"Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, with 4.5 trillion discarded annually".

[bamboo bob]

I understood that citrus peels take a very long time to decompose if left on the trail. Animals wont eat them. Apple cores will get eaten. I have heard people say that bears will pick up human scent from a discarded apple and relate food to humans but I think it is more likely that mice will eat it first. Mice are everywhere in the forest. LNT makes good sense although I have always had a tough time with the TP .

[JAK]

I think people should focus more on Sustainability and less on "leave no trace".
What I like about orange peels, is that people are buying oranges instead of oramge drinks.

[hikerboy57]

I think people should focus more on Sustainability and less on "leave no trace".
What I like about orange peels, is that people are buying oranges instead of oramge drinks.

we went to the moon, just so you could still go on eating real oranges?Do you know how many millions of dollars were spent developing Tang?

as long as theyre scattered, theyre not litter.