The End of Lobbying for Bananas

The banana is a wonderful fruit.

I have consumed thousands in my lifetime and most of these have been as a portable foodstuff whilst out cycling or walking.

In that compact skin they contain essential nutrients which are particularly suited to replenishing the body during the physical exertions of exercise.

On a hot, sweaty ride or trek the electrolytes in a banana, primarily potassium, help to replace those expended in the effort. We all know the huge tail-off in performance that is brought about by dehydration.

In terms of re-fuelling on the go a single fruit can provide from 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrate.

The pectin found in the soft, fleshy composition can moderate blood sugar levels and give you a feeling of being full up thereby assisting in resisting the urge to snack or binge eat which can be unhealthy and self-destructive to a health conscious lifestyle.

What is also a positive is that after devouring the edible part of a banana you can lob the skin from the saddle or on foot into the nearest hedgerow, verge, ditch, moorland, heath-land or just abandon it on a mountain side.

I have been a particular devotee to banana skin throwing during an activity session but those days have ceased forthwith.

It now appears that the simple and thoughtless act of repatriating a banana skin to nature is one of the worst things, in ecological terms that you can do in your own lunchtime.

Although not strictly within the definition of Ecocide it is actually not that far off- perhaps to be regarded as a dangerous precedent as a first offence against nature.

I know that a banana skin is something organic and biodegradable but any discarding of it in the open is still a littering action.

The main problem is that in some colder climates, for example those in environments frequented by upland hikers and walkers the act of decomposing can take up to two years. Even in a warmer, humid climate the rotting away process can still take weeks and even months.

Some creature may come across the skin and have a feast on it but that animal may be the wrong one for that locality and by providing, in effect a free meal this could cause a proliferation of that species to the detriment of the indigenous ones.

The actual decomposition of a banana skin can locally enrich the soil and unwittingly serve to increase competition from more dominant species.

So, banana eaters, take your skins home.

I know that they are sticky, messy, pulpy and attract flies and wasps whilst in the back pocket of your cycling jersey, cagoule pocket or in the bottom of a rucksack but they would be better put to use in compost or within your dedicated food waste bin for proper supervised disposal into something good and wholesome.

(source- Cycling Weekly, July 2019)