Many people think nothing of just tossing away there banana skins or apple cores.
After all, they're just fruit and come from the land anyway so it's just a natural thing to do. Well, think again.
One person found this out when he slammed his own partner for throwing leftover bits of apple out of their car window.
Posting on Reddit so that he could get advice, the man wrote that his loved one doesn't believe tossing out the leftover bits of fruit counted as littering.
To make it worse, she does it on residential streets as well as quiet areas and has no remorse for her actions.
The post read: "Partner thinks throwing apple cores out of car window isn't littering.
"I'd understand more if it was only in rural areas, but she will do so in residential roads. I feel it’s an eyesore and invites vermin. There seems to be no compromise."
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This sparked a lot of chat in the comments section, but there was no debate to be had as everyone agreed it was not acceptable behaviour.
Some had an issue with where she was throwing away her fruit waste, where as others claimed she should not be doing it anywhere except a bin or compost heap.
"Throwing an apple core into some bushes / woods / fields etc, great go for it, a good thing to do. Throwing an apple core around residential roads... that's a no from me," wrote one person.
Another replied: "I work for a litter charity. It’s definitely not the worst thing but it can actually be a problem to throw decaying food. Things like banana peels especially can stick around a longer time than you’d think and impact local ecosystems. It is best to take it home to compost it."
"Actually throwing fruit into bushes is a bit of an issue. We have lots of instances of the seeds growing into trees/bushes. The fruit is usually non domestic and could be real issue or mess with native plants," said a third.
A fourth agreed: "I've said the same to my girlfriend. I dont care if they are thrown in the grass or bushes but if you throw it in the road then you are attracting animals in the road to be ran over."
One person even joked that apple cores were just a "gateway" to littering bigger things, jokingly suggesting the man's partner woukd move on to sofas fridges or even 'small children'.
The idea that natural items like banana peels and apple cores aren't actually litter is a myth that many experts are trying to bust.
While they might not have the same lasting effects as rubbish such as plastic, they can still be slow to decompose depending on the environment they are left in.
It's not good for the wildlife, as an animal may start to search for food along roads, putting them at greater risk of being hit by a car.
Fruit that is tossed somehwere it doesn't naturally grow can also lead to growth of non-native plants and can harm those that are already there.
The law states that biodegradable things like apple cores and banana skins are still litter, even if they might not stick around for long.
Back in June 2018, a driver in Leicestershire was fine £60 for throwing her apple core onto a grass verge.
While hill-walkers were urged not to drop banana skins up the UK's highest peak, Ben Nevis, after it wa strewn with fruit peel and tissues.
Banana skins can take years to decompose at altitude - and in 2019 around 8kg of peel was found in the space of two days.
Neil Reid, a spokesman for Mountaneering Scotland, told The Independent: "A lot of people quite genuinely think that because a banana or orange or apple or whatever is natural, it will just rot down into the environment and everything will be hunky-dory.
"[But] the ecology up on the high tops there is quite fragile – very fragile – and it’s based on soil and ground that’s very low in nutrients. If you suddenly put a dose of, in effect, fertiliser up there you’re going to cause a lot of damage."
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