Pop quiz: You鈥檙e biking with a friend, zipping along a semi-rural road, when your buddy pulls a banana from his jersey, peels it with his teeth, and flings the skin into the ditch. What do you say?

a. 鈥淒ude! That鈥檚 littering.鈥�
b. 鈥淒ude! What the fuck?鈥�
c. Nothing, because I don鈥檛 want to make waves.
d. Nothing, because I don鈥檛 see the problem.

A lot of people, I think, would opt for C听or D.听Well, I鈥檓 here to make a case for A.听Or, if you don鈥檛 shy from strong language, B.听The old hikers鈥� maxim 鈥淭ake nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints鈥� doesn鈥檛 make an exception for food scraps鈥攁nd it shouldn鈥檛.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 just a banana peel,鈥� I imagine some of you saying. 鈥淚t鈥檚 organic, it鈥檒l decompose!鈥� That鈥檚 a common justification for tossing banana peels, apple cores, and so on out a car window or along a trail. The hypothetical cyclist from our quiz would almost certainly reach for that defense.

It鈥檚 true, technically, that apple cores and banana peels are natural. But natural litter is still litter. And this stuff doesn鈥檛 disappear nearly as fast as you might think. (Incidentally, I have a friend who swears it鈥檚 OK to dispose of his gum by spitting it out on the ground, because鈥攚ait for it鈥斺�渋t will decompose.鈥� This friend is wrong. And gross.)

Some folks seem to assume that fruits and vegetables left outside will shrivel, turn black, and disintegrate in a matter of hours, like a time-lapse video from middle school biology. In fact, , leaving plenty of time for animals who shouldn鈥檛 eat it to come along and eat it. Plus, while nature does its thing, that trash鈥攁nd let鈥檚 not mince words, that鈥檚 what it is鈥攊s an eyesore. It鈥檚 also a visual cue to other passers-by that tossing their own trash isn鈥檛 a big deal. In other words: Litter begets litter.

The next time you witness such casual tossage, then, ask the perpetrator: Would you be cool with a stranger flinging a 鈥渘atural鈥� banana peel into your front yard? No? Why, then, do you think it鈥檚 acceptable to chuck one in the woods?听Probably he鈥檒l say, 鈥淏ecause the woods are huge and I don鈥檛 live there听and, well鈥︹�� OK. He鈥檒l be right.

But, dammit, he鈥檒l also be missing the larger point鈥攆orest for the trees, as it were鈥攚hich is that outdoor spaces constitute a sort of yard听that belongs to all of us. Can鈥檛 we all agree to do our parts to keep it free of garbage? Even the kind that, eventually, will rot? Are we really so lazy that we can鈥檛 hang on to a lousy apple core until we find a trash can or compost bin? Isn鈥檛 it just as easy to tuck that banana peel back into the jersey pocket whence it came?

These are the questions I would encourage all of us to keep in mind.

By the way: That hypothetical cyclist? I know where he鈥檚 coming from. Back when I was a dedicated roadie, I regularly discarded banana peels along the side of rural roads, using the old 鈥渋t鈥檒l decompose鈥� excuse. Gradually, I wised up鈥攁nd my little corner of the world got a little bit cleaner, a little bit more pleasant.

Naturally.

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There you are, enjoying your favorite singletrack听at Mount听Local Nature Preserve. The air is crisp, the skies are clear, and you鈥檙e picking your way around the trail鈥檚 rocks and roots like the nimble mountain goat you are. Life is good. Then, all of a sudden: dog!

The creature, unbound and apparently alone, has careened around a bend and is barreling toward you, eyes wild and tongue out. In a flash, it鈥檚 darting around your feet, and you鈥檙e performing a little jig to keep from stumbling. The Dance of the Unleashed Dog.

As you mince and prance, you try to process what鈥檚 happening. First, you鈥檙e stunned. (Scientists call this the WTF听stage.) Then听you鈥檙e annoyed, and then you think to yourself, Hold up鈥攄idn鈥檛 I see a sign at the trailhead saying that dogs should be on leashes?

Yeah, you probably did. Such signs are common. So are dog owners who ignore them.

For the record, let me stress that I am a dog person. My wife and I have a ten-year-old shepherd mix, a sweet but not-so-bright boy named Cooper, who听we raised from a puppy. Cooper smells like Fritos, and I love him. I delight in meeting new dogs and, with their owners鈥� permission, rubbing their ears. (The dogs鈥� ears, not the owners鈥�.) Back when I had a car, it had just one bumper sticker: a white oval with the word 鈥淲OOF.鈥澨�In short,听I am pro dog. Yes. All the way.

However! Like you, I am also a trail user. And听like you, I am continually vexed by the presence of off-leash dogs. Letting your pooch race up and down and across shared trails, unfettered and unpredictable, isn鈥檛 just rude, it鈥檚 dangerous. Dog owners: please cut this out. Everyone else: the next time you鈥檙e in such a situation, I encourage you to speak up. But what do you say? And just as important, how do you say it?

Before we go there, let鈥檚 pause and try to understand why some dog owners flout these rules in the first place. I have two theories on this. One is that these people鈥攅ven the ones who ordinarily, in other settings, would use a leash鈥攆eel it鈥檚 OK to let their dogs loose 鈥渋n the woods鈥� because, well… it鈥檚 the woods! No cars! Few people! All nature! It鈥檚 the last place their dog can really run free!听Run, Max, run鈥�taste freedom! (And besides, they鈥檙e quick to say, their dogs are 鈥渇ine鈥� and would 鈥渘ever hurt anybody.鈥�)

The other theory is that they鈥檙e just assholes.

Realistically, you鈥檒l encounter both types of dog owners听in the wild. The problem is that you can鈥檛 tell by looking which type is which, just as you can鈥檛 tell by looking which dogs are 鈥渇ine鈥� and which might dive-bomb your front wheel or sink its听teeth into your calf.

Caution and tact, then, are the order of the day. Say something, absolutely鈥攂ut be smart about it. First, keep your distance from the dog鈥檚 human. You don鈥檛 want them听or their听dog听to feel you鈥檙e a threat. Second, stay cool. A loud, hostile, or snarky tone will only make the owner defensive and unreceptive. So wait a beat before you say anything. Take a breath. And try to preface your remarks with something positive听like, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a beautiful dog.鈥� In my experience, they usually are.

Third, try to focus not on the dog鈥檚 owner or even on yourself, but on others; for instance, instead of blurting out, 鈥淧ut your dog on a leash!鈥� try听鈥淚t would really be safer for everyone, including your dog, if he were on a leash.鈥� If the animal in question caused an accident or a near miss, mention this as well鈥攁gain, in a matter-of-fact way: 鈥淢y buddies and I ran around the corner there and almost fell over your dog.鈥�

Fourth and finally, thank the dog owner for listening, and tell them听to have a good day鈥攍ike you mean it!鈥攂efore moving on yourself.

Will this actually change anyone鈥檚 behavior? Maybe. Maybe not. But it almost certainly won鈥檛 make things worse, and you鈥檒l have tried your best. Sometimes, that鈥檚 the best we can hope for.听WOOF.

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