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Bothies and the CWT

Re: Bothies and the CWT

Postby al78 » Mon Jun 27, 2022 9:31 am

Roo and Plum wrote:
al78 wrote:I find it odd, the claim that banana skins take two years to degrade. When I throw them on my garden flower beds, they are gone in a couple of weeks.


The climate in your garden is very different from that at the top of a hill and climate plays a huge part in the speed at which things biodegrade. Also, many plant species that exist at altitude are specialists in the environment they inhabit and introducing non-native fertilisers (effectively what banana/orange peel etc are) affects the soil makeup and is harmful.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ben-nevis-banana-skins-mountain-litter-rubbish-three-peaks-a9009526.html%3famp


I wasn't thinking of environments at altitude, I appreciate the highland ecosystems are more fragile and colder and I would never discard anything on a mountain anywhere, I was thinking of more general situations including lowland conditions in SE England. I have on occasion disposed of banana skins in the undergrowth of a hedge or woodland (out of sight) when on country walks locally in Sussex, and given banana skins decay rapidly in that climate and the countryside in Sussex is heavily altered by human activity, I don't see the problem there.
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Re: Bothies and the CWT

Postby blair282 » Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:02 pm

al78 wrote:
Roo and Plum wrote:
al78 wrote:I find it odd, the claim that banana skins take two years to degrade. When I throw them on my garden flower beds, they are gone in a couple of weeks.


The climate in your garden is very different from that at the top of a hill and climate plays a huge part in the speed at which things biodegrade. Also, many plant species that exist at altitude are specialists in the environment they inhabit and introducing non-native fertilisers (effectively what banana/orange peel etc are) affects the soil makeup and is harmful.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ben-nevis-banana-skins-mountain-litter-rubbish-three-peaks-a9009526.html%3famp


I wasn't thinking of environments at altitude, I appreciate the highland ecosystems are more fragile and colder and I would never discard anything on a mountain anywhere, I was thinking of more general situations including lowland conditions in SE England. I have on occasion disposed of banana skins in the undergrowth of a hedge or woodland (out of sight) when on country walks locally in Sussex, and given banana skins decay rapidly in that climate and the countryside in Sussex is heavily altered by human activity, I don't see the problem there.


Whether you visit a bothy or not, the same principle applies: leave no trace. This means taking banana skins home.
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Re: Bothies and the CWT

Postby WalkWithWallace » Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:45 am

al78 wrote:I wasn't thinking of environments at altitude, I appreciate the highland ecosystems are more fragile and colder and I would never discard anything on a mountain anywhere, I was thinking of more general situations including lowland conditions in SE England. I have on occasion disposed of banana skins in the undergrowth of a hedge or woodland (out of sight) when on country walks locally in Sussex, and given banana skins decay rapidly in that climate and the countryside in Sussex is heavily altered by human activity, I don't see the problem there.


Apparently it still takes up 2 years to biodegrade. Don't be part of the problem, leave no trace every time!
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