Garbage Management

Alpine

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Mar 12, 2017
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OK, My Tool Kit thread gave me a bunch of great ideas so here is my next question. I have a lifetime of experience in dealing with garbage at a remote family camp (we refer to forest structures as "Camps" in NY). I figure that our FWC garbage management will be similar but the space is much smaller and I'm looking for advice on how best to handle garbage. How do you minimize garbage? What types of containers do you use and where do you store them? Does the camper get smelly? Is paper burning legal and acceptable at times? Can vegetable and meat scraps be discretely composted in a safe area? I can use these strategies at our Camp but I'm not sure of the etiquette and rules on Public land.

Thanks!
Elliott
 
I keep all garbage in a heavy duty trash bag tucked inside a Trasharoo. I empty it whenever there is a receptacle available...I don’t wait until it’s full and smelly. If I’m in bear country I never keep the trash close to the vehicle and work diligently to minimize all trash, especially food waste.
 
Good subject that, like many on here, will depend on ones own situation.

Alpine said:
How do you minimize garbage?
Sometimes will strip cardboard or other excess packaging from prepared foods before placing in camper, either at home or the store. We use cloth instead of paper where we can. We try to eat less generally on our trips, consume all the food prepared and have meals that produce less waste and are easy to clean up. More boiling, less frying or sauces. For eg , broth based, one pot meal. Empty store bought, broth tetra pak container is the garbage. It reseals and is easy to store.

What types of containers do you use and where do you store them?
Always carry small resealable food containers. These can be used for nasty stuff (also put in a plastic bag) and might go back in the fridge, short term. Otherwise reuse plastic grocery bag placed in a small ridge plastic waste bin hanging inside camper. Have lockable, outside storage on vehicle if needed.

Does the camper get smelly?
Let's cover that in a future hygiene thread. ..
We avoid certain foods like fish, depending on where we are (in the bush or not). If going bush long term then for sure you'll need a plan but for us a few days in, we're fine. Even avoiding settlements between camp spots, we usually come across roadside garbage disposal for "tourists" etc

Is paper burning legal and acceptable at times?
I see "fire slaves" serving at all times and in all conditions so prob acceptable. Legal ?, may depend. Personally, we avoid fires whenever possible.

Can vegetable and meat scraps be discretely composted in a safe area? I can use these strategies at our Camp but I'm not sure of the etiquette and rules on Public land.
Good question. IDK if it's sanctioned but who hasn't tossed an apple core into the bushes? Composting could be better but volume might be a concern and the possible attraction and subsequent digging up by animals might pose a risk to other people. I'm interested in this question also.

Thanks!
Elliott
 
Hi
Constantly using a grocery bag, and disposal when trash receptacles are. Have not camped much in bear country, but would be diligent to keep away from us.

Russ
 
Sorting for recycling while at "camp" is a good idea but bringing food waste into your camper is like posting a big neon sign on the roof that says: "Hey Bears.....food inside!" Don't think for a minute that a hungry animal weighing twice what you do or more is going to have any more trouble with getting inside the camper than they do with all the locked up vehicles that bears basically destroy to get into for food. In spring they are out of hibernation and hunger, as winter approaches they are loading up prior to hibernation.

We used to burn food waste (corn cobs, T-bones, fish cleanings) and the next morning shovel that into a trash bag. If there was no place to dispose of that stuff we still did NOT bring it into the camper at night!

Where bear boxes are provided, they not only make a place for your food/cooler but an excellent place to store trash until you can dispose of it correctly. If you are notified it is Bear Country, you'd be better off try at least to hang the trash bag from a tree limb all the time and only bring it down to put more into it or to depart with it.

I've seen a bear go nuts trying to get a cooler out from under a camp table (the bear succeeded) where the two young adults were only 12 feet away in their tent and scared to death. The bear got into the cooler which had basically nothing it was going to eat but the two campers had managed to clean their trout on the lid of the cooler that evening and even with cleaning it off...the bear smelled the residue and WANTED that cooler.

After it found nothing of interest in the cooler at least 4-5 of us and the Ranger (from a distance now!) shined flashlights on it and made a lot of noise and it then ambled off into the brush where a cub waited for Momma Bear.

Only then did the two campers come out of the tent. Lesson learned about cleaning fish I think.

PS....food waste is a magnet for another troublesome critter....the yellowjacket. They love meat and if you mess with them near their food or near their nest....you better be a very fast runner so they only sting ya a couple times at the worst!
 
We have found that a 3 liter Rubbermaid type cereal container with the large opening combined with a 1 gallon Baggie works great for most of a days garbage. When the bag is full it gets twist tied and added to a regular garbage bag or disposed of daily. The smaller bags seem to keep the smell down in the camper or on the boat. Getting rid of unnecessary packing before leaving helps keep the waste down too. Enjoy the rest of the summer, Bigfoot Dave
 
I am a beer drinker and glass bottles take up a lot of room. On long trips to remote places I always buy canned beer so that I can easily flatten the cans. There are some pretty good craft beers in cans these days.
 
Like others have mentioned, we try to cut down on packaging at home and get rid of trash every chance we get. We use a sea to summit roll top bag store our trash bag, it really cuts down on the smell. We're rarely in serious bear country but at night, the trash goes in the truck cab.
 
Amyinaz said:
Like others have mentioned, we try to cut down on packaging at home and get rid of trash every chance we get. We use a sea to summit roll top bag store our trash bag, it really cuts down on the smell. We're rarely in serious bear country but at night, the trash goes in the truck cab.
That's a great idea! We have several of those bags from our whitewater trips.
 
smlobx said:
That's a great idea! We have several of those bags from our whitewater trips.
We just started using the sea to summit bag this summer. Definitely a why didn't we think if this sooner moment!
 
We have one of these for inside the camper for food scraps while cooking and little things:
https://www.containerstore.com/s/red-2-qt.-eco-cocoon-trash-can/d?productId=11001330&q=recycle%20bin
It fits perfectly between the sink and stove along the back. We empty it, especially if it has food scraps in it, before bed.

Then we have 2 of these we hang outside the camper via bungee cord to our swing away bike rack:
https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/storage-bags-totes/umbra-blue-recycle-crunch-can-with-handles/12d?productId=10031901&theme=collapsible%20storage%20bins&pos=8


One for recycling, one for trash. When in bear country we put them in the bear boxes. Otherwise we just leave them out there. I use binder clips on the trash bag to keep it in place.

Love the Sea to Summit roll top bag idea!
 
I got us one of these for inside the camper:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003D3PP6K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works out pretty good. It is just the right height that it "wedges" under the overhang of the kitchen counter in our side dinette Hawk (right below the switches on the side of the fridge cabinet) so that it is out of the way, stays put, and you can still throw trash into it. I got a box of GLAD small trash bags, the kind with the four "wings" on the top, not the red pull string type. The fit is just about perfect. Grocery bags also fit, but not quite as good. The material looks like it would be easy to clean with a damp paper towel if you use it without any bags. It collapses down flat and fits into the narrow cabinet in the front passenger side corner of the camper when we travel.
 
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