LNT. Ethics and technicalities

[CheddarMan]

The reason plant matter takes longer to rot away is because there are no native fauna that feed off of it, we have no natural banana and orange feeders in the UK as we have no orange groves or banana trees for them to feed off. It will go eventually, sure, but remember a paper bag is simply wood pulped, so has some organic matter value.

As a slight diversion, the best way to deal with solid human waste is to carry it out and dispose of appropriately or..........smear it out across a larger area nice and thin! It's a bit Bobby Sands Dirty Protest, but it will all be gone in absolutely no time at all! Plenty of pooh eaters out there!

[FishyFolk]

I have to admit I do burn plastics, can't help thinking the gasses a few noodle packets release is minimal in the grand scheme of things. I'm not sure how hot my fires get but I also chuck tins on there and they seem to reduce. If I'm using an unfamiliar site I do recycle them, but over the years swampy has outlined the rubbish rules on site and he's pretty liberal with it. Basically sweep it all into fire puts and either he disposed of it or it burns away. The old guerilla gardening as you put it is somewhat rewarding though. Never had better tasting taties!

A plastic shopping bag, those you get at supermarkets for bringing home your stuff in, has about the same environmental foot print when burned...as a tea candle.

[Pootle]

Some interesting points here.
regarding fruit peel etc my opinion depends on the location. I have a pet theory that litter attracts litter. so I won't leave an apple core where it is visible as I reckon someone else will be less hesitant to drop a crisp packet etc.
Secondly, fruit peelings from non native fruit can carry pests that don't have any natural enemies: The native broom on mount teide, tenerife, is being wiped out partly by a moth thought to have been transported on orange peel. left by visitors. Other plants that depend on the nitrogen provided by the Broom are struggling as a result. The impacts are not always obvious!
as for burning vs carrying out; landfill is not pretty and neither is the huge amount of rubbish that doesn't make it into the landfill. I'm quite happy to burn the odd crisp packet or similar non recyclables. its mostly hydrocarbon and therefore produces carbon dioxide and water , just like the wood your burning, and the chlorides, heavy metals and other chemicals in it will end up causing pollution however it's disposed of.

[Silkhi]

I take absolutely everything away with me that's not wood based but I do like a small fire - I go to a lot of effort to disguise the fact though. I lack the skills/knowledge to forage unless something it's really obvious and safe like blackberries, fruit trees or a long trek to the chip shop