A traveler setting off on a long international trip might take some fruit with him/her as a snack for the journey. The traveler may be aware that s/he is not allowed to carry that fruit past customs at his/her destination, but intends to have eaten the fruit before that. Suppose that (a) the traveler forgets or otherwise fails to consume the fruit or (b) does consume the fruit and is left with inedible seeds/core material. Not wanting to have any issues or hold-ups with border officials, and in the case of (b) not wanting to carry the discards anyway, the traveler discards the fruit or seeds in a trash can before reaching customs or passport control (maybe even on the airplane/ship/etc.).
Therefore, the traveler can truthfully declare s/he is not crossing the border with any fruit, seeds, etc.
However, the fruit or seeds are in the trash can at the airport/ship terminal/etc. or in the bags of trash taken off the arriving vessel. Is that material collected and sent to landfills along with other common garbage? If so, doesn't that at least partially undermine the stated purpose of the prohibition on bringing the fruit into the country?
Or, is refuse from the international side of an airport/ship terminal/etc. required to receive special treatment, such as incineration?
