Is it Illegal to Throw Food Out of My Car?

Have you ever finished eating an apple and had the sudden urge to see how far you can fling the core out your car window into the countryside? Or perhaps your kid hands you a banana peel while on a long car trip that you think might make good compost in the pastures along Interstate 35. 

It’s common knowledge that certain food scraps make good additions to your backyard compost bin, but those principles don't apply to the roadside.  

And yet somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s perfectly legal and responsible to toss those food scraps from our cars when we’re cruising down the highway. We tell ourselves “those scraps will break down into soil-enriching compost... right?” It’s not like it’s REALLY littering, right?”  

Wrong! 

Apple core by the side of a road