Reflections on a banana skin

I spotted this on the other side of the road while I was waiting for the bus. Presumably thrown out of a car window like lots of other debris, much of it plastic and not biodegradable. But banana skins (and orange peels) are often  dumped at random with the unthought-through assumption that because they're 'natural' it doesn't matter. But neither bananas or oranges are indigenous to northern Europe so whereas native fruit such as apples, pears, plums and strawberries will be quickly scavenged by insects, birds and mammals - bananas and citrus fruit will not. In optimum conditions such as a warm compost heap they may break down in a few weeks but out of doors it can take much, much longer for bacteria to rot them away. So when hikers indulge in the nutritious, handily-packaged energy snack that a banana is and then chuck the skin  on the ground it can remain there, incongruous and unsightly, for as long as two years in cold conditions such as on the summit plateau of Ben Nevis where 1000  skins  were removed by volunteers a few years ago.

Banana skins are not  without their uses though. I discovered in researching this that banana skins are recommended for:
whitening teeth,
treating acne and warts, 
making fertilizer,
tenderizing meat,
softening your skin,
polishing leather,
and baking a delicious Brazilian banana skin cake. Who knew?

From a more personal  angle, bananas have played a significant role in part of my family history as I recounted in a  previous blip.