Is Spitting Sunflower Seeds on the Ground a Crime in Colorado?

As I am writing this, I have a mouth full of sunflower seeds and I am spitting the shells into a cup. Sunflower seeds are an extremely popular gas station snack in Colorado and you see people eating them in the car, at outdoor events, in rodeos, and nearly everywhere.

I always used to spit sunflower seed shells on the ground until my high school girlfriend told me it was gross. I haven't spit a shell on the ground since. Should everybody else do the same?

Spitting Sunflower Seed Shells in Colorado

I have a core memory of my pee-wee football coach eating sunflower seeds. Coach Nick would always have a baseball-sized bulge on his cheek that was reminiscent of a squirrel stashing food in its mouth. When he would yell at us we would get peppered with sunflower seed shells.

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When we wasn't yelling at eight-year-olds, he would be spitting them all over the field. Could you get in trouble for spitting shells on the ground?

Sunflower Seed Shells: Do They Go Away?

Sunflower seed shells are technically biodegradable, which means that they will naturally return to the environment. However, they do take a long time. Experts say that they can compost, but take longer than other biodegradable foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Biodegradable Littering in Colorado

You have probably been on a hike in Colorado and somebody has thrown a banana peel or an apple core in the woods. They reassure you that it is fine because it is biodegradable.

In the state of Colorado's eyes even though an item is biodegradable it is still littering. Here is what Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-4-511 says:

...the unlawful discarding of any trash, garbage, refuse, debris, or other waste matter, including but not limited to, discarded food or drink containers, bottles, cans, newspapers, magazines, or other printed matter, and glass, metal, plastic, or paper containers, in any public place or on private property.

So the next time you're thinking of spitting shells on the ground, you probably shouldn't. Your partner and the state of Colorado will think you are gross.