Is It Illegal to Throw Food Out Your Car Window In New York?

I feel my blood boil as I walk my dog, up and down the street we live on. It's a busy road with cars passing by us faster than I would like but so far we haven't been pulverized. That isn't the reason for my agitation, it's more about the garbage I see along our walk.

Apparently people are tossing everything from gloves to beer cans, fast food bags and even an airsoft gun out the window as they pass by. Today I saw someone chuck a banana peel out the wind and I wondered is that also considered littering in New York?

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In the city of Albany, for example, you could be fined $1000 and spend up to 15 days in jail for littering but does that include food? I was always under the impression that food was fine because it's biodegradable. Here is the definition of litter;

Garbage, trash, refuse, building and construction debris and canine wastes or to leave, throw, store, sweep or deposit the same

So here is the bottom line, throwing food out of the car window, leaving it on a hiking train or buried in the beach is littering. Yes, food is biodegradable but it's still considred garbage and should be in a trash can.

According to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, no litter is safe litter. For one, an apple core could attract an animal to the side of the road putting that animal in danger. As for a banana peel, it takes up to 2 years to absorb into the soil. As it rots it will attract insects, which nobody wants more of.

Next time you finish that orange while driving, don't throw the remains out the window. Hold on to it until you can throw it away properly.