When I throw loads of trash out my car on the road is it REALLY littering if it's biodegradable?

Question

I usually throw loads of paper, cigarette butts and food. NEVER plastic!

Answer 1

I guess not, food's ok but if you should recycle that paper.

Answer 2

Common sense it's littering. Your just lazy don't you know what a dumpster is. People like to keep their streets and highways clean. When you get a hefty fine you'll have hopefully your learn your lesson. There are places to dispose of trash in many different places. I hope your not from Texas they don't tolerate litter bugs like you. You should be ashamed of yourself littering our Country. What do you do with the plastic save. You can start a fire with your butts and hurt people by burning their houses down. Think about it you are in the wrong. Bad! Person. Every State has it's on fines. I hope you get caught so you learn your lesson. Grow up! When you get caught I hope they make pick the load of papers and food and anything your throw out your window. Have respect for our Country.

Answer 3

Unbelievable! You wouldn't want live where I live - you'd get lynched! How can you do that? Where I come from, people used to litter out their windows only way back in the '70's. This is socially unacceptable behaviour now which others would find disgraceful. It's just too easy to keep a plastic grocery bag in the car for your garbage.

As far as your butts, I know if you use the ashtray, it really stinks up the vehicle, but throwing butts out the window is not a wise move. My husband did that once and a very angry driver of a motorcycle pulled up beside us and growled him out b/c he got hit by the butt. So try smoking before or after you are in the car.

Answer 4

Yes, it's still considered litter, even though it's stuff that will eventually rot. Trash has its proper place, and that's not by the side of the road, where it does not add to the natural beauty that's there for us all to enjoy. Besides, if you throw food out your window, you're possibly causing the death of some wild animal who was hungry enough to eat what you've thrown there. Throwing ANYTHING out of your window is litter and can get you a ticket, which can be very sizeable. Carry a bag in your car, and throw your trash in there, then take the bag out, when you stop at a gas station, putting it in the trash can. I'm sure the rest of us don't want to look at your version of outdoor designing. <*)))><

Answer 5

Yes it's still littering. Just ask the cop who tickets you. :)

Certain foods can poison animals. Or at least lure them near the road where they can get hit by cars. (A raccoon can put a good sized dent in your car. Hit a deer wrong and your toast)

Anything except for newsprint will take ages to break down (even newspaper takes a while to break down).

And cigarette buts contain lots of harmful things (seriously, if nothing else, just throw those away properly and I will give you five positive points on your karma - I really, really, really hate it when people throw the butts out the car window.). And they don't break down for years and years.

Answer 6

The things you're throwing out of the car are unnatural, sure they're bio degradable, but by the time that actually happens, your kid's kids might occassionally see it fly by depending on what type of trash it is.

The reason it's unnatural is because do you really think wood naturally became paper? or that the stuff used to make plastic.. actually just came to be and they just picked it up in the forest and made a carton wrapper out of it? no, it's all man made and the way it's combined makes it much harder for the environment to simply "take it back" in degrading fashion. That's how pollution is caused.. we come to the earth and combine so much different crap to create a toxic doom, then we throw it back and expect everything to be ok.

Just think of science.. some elements are harmless, that is until you mix it with something else.

Answer 7

When all of those things get rained on and washed down the storm drains, they create stream pollution and can impact fish and animal populations. You aren't putting them in a controlled landfill or a wastewater plant, which is where they can biodegrade with minimal pollution. Also, many ingredients in papers, prepared foods, and cigarettes are not biodegradable.

Also, by throwing out food, you are tempting animals to roam the highways looking for food. The animals can get killed or if large enough (like a buck), a person can get killed. You don't want that on your conscience.

Answer 8

Unfortunately things may be biodegradable but this takes time. In the meantime they are unsightly and I think rightly are regarded as litter which should be properly disposed of (and if possible recycled).

Answer 9

paper i say would be ok but still considered littering. cig butts are bad. some animals such as ducks eat them and cannot digest them. and what happens when your a small animal and cannot digest something your get clogged and either become very sick and eventually pass the object or you die. so doesnt really matter what you throw out, it all could have a bad outcome.

Answer 10

Cigarette butts aren't biodegradeable.

And what you're doing is littering - pure and simple. Put it on your curb or take it to the dump.

Answer 11

it's still littering... you need to remember that one of the things in our environment that suffers due to littering is the aesthetics of it... imagine what the place would look like if everyone kept throwing thrash out their windows.