What do you do with your tripping garbage?

[Guest]

From another thread:

I'm rethinking our garbage though. I'll hang it on a tree and forget about it. It's often attracting mice and squirrels. Mind you, they investigate everything, even nonfood stuff.

I have yet to settle on a preferred garbage storage method, beyond trying to minimize the amount. I segregate the “paper” trash (usually little more than oatmeal packs) for eventual burning, but I do not burn plastics or foil. I rinse out and stomp flat anything canned (beer, beans, corn, beer). Most of the food odor probably comes from empty freeze dried meal packs, crumbs in bread wrappers, dried fruit packaging and etc.

I don’t want it in my food barrel, and usually tie off a garage bag from line and limb, which does little to prevent inquisitive creatures from investigating. Squirrels, chipmunks, coons, birds – even when there is no food odor present that garbage piñata attracts unwanted attention. I do stay in a lot of site where the critters are habituated, and whenever the wind rustles or rattles that bag of trash I think “Oh crap, here we go…”

I don’t want to carry another hard-sided chew-proof container dedicated just for garbage, largely because it would be mostly empty space at the beginning of a trip, and also because I typically police site garbage along the way and come out with more than I brought in, so the eventual fullness might exceed the capacity anyway.

The only partial solution I have come up with is on longer trips, when I augument the 30L barrel with a rounded 3 gallon bucket of excess food.



That more rounded shape has fewer rodent chewable edges than a standard screw-top pail, and once I have eaten my way into consolidating the 30L barrel I can move the odorofious garbage into that bulbous bucket.

Got a garbage solution or methodology?

 

[memaquay]

I burn everything. Extract foil or can remnants, pound down, put into zip locks, throw in a barrel. I don't have a problem burning plastics, if I take it home, pretty much same thing is going to happen to it at local dump. If I'm in a Restricted fire zone, everything into doubled up garbage bags, then into a dedicated pack or barrel.

 

[redoleary]

We keep everything in a large ziplock or two or three, and keep those in a garbage bag of some sort. We burn virtually nothing.

 

[yellowcanoe]

As in all things canoeing it depends on where you are. One method does not fit all.

Up north or in Maine I burn. I burn trash at home so why not in the bush?
Florida or the desert or fire ban areas, I pack it out. Yes in the barrel.. I have lots of zip locs. I don't carry much fresh food anyway.

 

[Canotrouge]

Up here, we do a mixe of both, burn and carry out. So what doesn't burn, get carried out. When Sophie was a baby an on diaper, we would burn the diapers... Let me tell you you need hell of a fire to burn a diaper full.... And don't cook at the same time

 

[Odyssey]

We rarely have anything but ziplock bags these days. I hate the fiddly diddly bits of icky garbage, so most food is re-pre-packaged at home. In camp, since I'm usually the one doing the dishes, I wash out the used ziplocks and either toss them into a garbage bag or back into the barrel. We might have a bit of paper to burn, but usually not much. Any ziplock bags being tossed are good to contain whatever else might have food residue.
The garbage bag is used for whatever else I find around camp that pi$$es me off. You'd be sadly surprised what junk is left by lazy slobs. I limit myself to one bag; and I won't pick up the unhygienic stuff, if you know what I mean. I don't want to toss this bag into our barrel, and seeing as there's barely a trace of food in the trash, I choose to just hang it on a tree till we pack it and everything up for moving on.
Over the years we've greatly reduced our "trash footprint". It feels good to paddle away from a site, look back over my shoulder, and see a nary a twig out of place. No rusty grill leaning against a tree, no forgotten clothesline drooping between branches, no broken glass glittering in the sun, no plastic detritus littering the landing...

 

[red langford]

Burn what I can and carry out everything else. I will go through the ashes and pull out bits of unburned plastic or tin and put that in my garbage ziplock.

 

[Philtrum]

I bring a gallon-size Ziploc bag, into which goes whatever food is packaged in, usually Ziploc bags, sometimes original freeze-dried meal packages. The bag has never been full beyond an inch thick.

 

[Momentum]

Mike,
I do like your barrel idea, but what about getting a small barrel that fits within your regular food barrel so that you don't have to carry an extra item?
If it's water tight then you won't have to worry about leaking either. Just a thought?

 

[ppine]

Most of the packaging can be removed before a trip. The paper can be burned in a fire. I like boxed wine for canoeing. Burn the box and all that is left is a little mylar bag that can be used as a pillow. We usually have some flattened beer cans by the end in country with few portages. All the trash that will not burn is hauled out in a black trash bag.

Some of the wild and scenic rivers in the West and a few other popular ones now require a fire pan, and a portable device for human waste. I will be running one of those rivers this June in a raft. I have had the experience in the Grand Canyon where those rules have been in place for a long time. The beaches are clean and there are no firepits. It is really nice to roll out on the sand and sleep.

 

[Guest]

I burn what I can if I have a big hot fire. I have often found partially burned stuff from weak fires in firepits which I reburn. Sometimes I only have a big fire after several days,so I carry it with me. I put a little Clorox in my garbage Ziploc before I leave home. This helps stuff not to get nasty. The rest I pack out of course. Repackaging before you leave reduces garbage.
Turtle

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I don't generate much garbage other than some foil packaging. I put it in an Opsak, which I keep in my Ursack.

 

[Guest]

Most of the packaging can be removed before a trip. The paper can be burned in a fire. We usually have some flattened beer cans by the end in country with few portages. All the trash that will not burn is hauled out in a black trash bag.

Some of the wild and scenic rivers in the West and a few other popular ones now require a fire pan, and a portable device for human waste. I will be running one of those rivers this June in a raft. I have had the experience in the Grand Canyon where those rules have been in place for a long time. The beaches are clean and there are no firepits. It is really nice to roll out on the sand and sleep.

There is absolutely something to be said for that latter, and I have come to appreciate no-fire or fire-pan and pack out the ashes (dump ‘em in the Wag Bag when cold) regulations in heavily used areas. I don’t much like regulations, but I dislike camping in sooty filth more.

I do unpackage, decant and re-store most of my food, but try as I might I still produce more backcountry trash than I would like, especially on long trips. If I have to pack in potable water I am not opposed to bringing a few treats in cans, especially if those are no-heat, ring-pop-top and spoon it into my maw without using fuel type stuff.

Used wet wipes from hand and face (and pits and taint) cleaning go in on tidal trips. More crushed beer cans that I should admit on easy river trips. Worn out Zip-lock bags after their third or fourth food storage resurrection, which get stuffed with more odoriferous trash, likely to no critter smell sense avail.

Via coffee and drink mix packs. Freeze dry meal packs, bread and cheese wrappers with enticing crumbs and odors. It is a smelly bag, and it only gets bigger.

OP’s campsite trash. Or floaters I collected along the way. It is hard to resist maneuvering the canoe alongside some floating debris (typically a plastic water bottle or beverage can….sometimes more interesting stuff) for the perfectly timed passing in the current snatch and grab.

Occasionally even clothing that I have reduced to unserviceable rags; there is no point in putting that back in the clothes bag.

I trip with a friend who almost fills a 1 gallon Zip-lock in a month’s time. Pressure cooker beans and rice again?

I am resigned to toting out a more than my own volume of trash, which is usually a thick bagged or double bagged black bundle of assorted critter-smelly goodness. I have had few problems with a well situated and well hung trash bag, but I’m not hanging my food, and having to set up a trash bag hang is a PITA I could live without.

 

[Mama]

I bring a a pair of two gallon baggies so the first can be folded in half and placed inside the second such that the trash is double bagged. I keep it in our blue food barrel. A two gallon baggie is capable of holding far more trash than we need for my family of 3 on our trips (one week). Of course we don't bring any cans, bottles, jars which would require more trash storage. We think through how much waste our meals and meal packaging will generate when preparing and packing - and it isn't much. We also discipline ourselves to open/prepare only foods we intend to finish to minimize food waste. That we we carry mainly paper and plastic packaging, at worst an occasional apple core.

 

[PrairiePete]

It is against the law to burn trash (even paper) in many states, including Minnesota. This makes trash burning illegal in the BWCA as well. Besides, do we really want to go to the woods to smell someone else's trash burning?

Pete

 

[yellowcanoe]

It's not illegal here nor in Ontario. Been many years since I have been to the BWCA. (Too crowded compared to closer to me areas). The art of a hot fire does away with smoldering trash smells.

 

[Odyssey]

I think I'll adopt Mama's approach of double bagging and keeping it in the barrel.
Thanks Mama.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I think I'll adopt Mama's approach of double bagging and keeping it in the barrel.
Thanks Mama.

Which works fine for week or ten day.. Not so much fun for a month..
Thats why I believe there is no sacred right or wrong answer. As in all things canoeing , its about the environment, which differs markedly all over North America.

 

[Odyssey]

You're right YC, but 7-10 days is about the longest we've ever tripped for. Double bagging and stowing in our barrel, as the food volume goes down would work for us. In the past I've tossed everything into a garbage bag. Our own small bits as well as trash and litter I've cleaned up from others. From now on I'll sort into our own food related trash (always very negligible) and found trash. Only the food related will go into the barrel. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. We have burned, and still do with any paper etc. I stopped burning plastics a few years ago. I can't guarantee I won't long for convenience and do it again. The reusable ziplocks always return home.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Interestingly in Florida you are not allowed to generate any garbage on some rivers. All food must be in reusable containers. We plan to
Paddle there in May so I have to pay attention to packaging

Florida is one state that works with paddlers to ensure paddling is possible for future generations. I have read that it has the most paddling opportunities of any state