A stinky topic. What to do with garbage when boodocking?

[Ndcctrucks]

Originally Posted by Silvr_Bullet

Using someone else’s dumpster without permission is a theft of services, I wouldn’t encourage or condone that practice. Don’t think there is no one looking.

I would like to add that they are often locked to prevent illegal dumping of hazardous materials and human remains….

[Silvr_Bullet]

Originally Posted by Ndcctrucks

I would like to add that they are often locked to prevent illegal dumping of hazardous materials and human remains….

Video Surveillance

[Atwebs]

We've boondocked forever and never really had an issue with garbage or critters. Often, even out of the way places have dumpsters or garbage cans, though.

But, here's what we did when nothing was available. Use washable food storage containers and ditch plastic containers before you go. Then get a big reusable sack for cans & bottles, those that contained food wiped well or washed out. That can sit outside or hang on a tree, never had a bear or a raccoon bother it. Use leftover paper to start campfires. Bury biodegradable food scraps where allowed -away from your campsite, as occasionally a curious critter will dig up leftover apple cores or watermelon rind.

That leaves you with a relatively small amount of stuff that doesn't fit into any of the categories. Usually, that can be stored inside until you go somewhere with a garbage can available.

Our experience was usually we ran out of water or gray tank space before we were overcome with garbage!

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

You really need to follow the Forest Service Wilderness Area rules, except fo maybe the "no cans nor glass" part.

Any food scraps, etc. are buried in a hole well away from any camp.

All other item (they can be rinsed and the water placed in the hole) must be carried out with you. You could use a large(er) bear barrel and place it inside the SUV or on the roof.

https://pathspeakspaddles.com/shop/60-litre-barrel/

We use these with a harness in the BWCAW. They are air/water tight and as long as you keep the outside clean (odor free) wildlife wont bother them.

If you got there in an Airstream I don't think that qualifies for a Wilderness Area. Therefore I wouldn't go burying stuff. That might work in true wilderness, where one person comes by every few weeks. But if there's a road, a lot more people will be there.

[Hittenstiehl]

Ditto ditto ditto, pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace.

We do have the advantage of a pick up truck over the OP's SUV.

Eating fresh over packaged prepared foods helps. All garbage is compacted, smashed, ripped and crushed to make one small grocery sack a day. We have no small children in diapers or pets. That small bag goes into a bucket that goes home with us. Glass bottles or crushed cans go into a separate bucket and goes home.

If traveling bersus boondocking we would take that small garbage bag and place it into a public can at a large gas station. If a small privately owned gas station I would ask if I can place my small bag into their can before doing so. We do not go in back of a large box store looking for a large can. Often times those large cans are also posted that they are a private can.

We do burn paper only if we have a fire pit and we do clean the pit out before we leave. We don't bury anything near or away from us. I wash dishes in a plastic pail with bio soap after wiping them as clean as possible. I strain my dishwater thru a colander with a paper towel laid in it to catch food debris then pour the strained water into a plant or tree whn on public lands but not in a private campground.

Last thing on the list is to "police call" the campsite for any garbage or debris from us or anyone else.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

If you got there in an Airstream I don't think that qualifies for a Wilderness Area. Therefore I wouldn't go burying stuff. That might work in true wilderness, where one person comes by every few weeks. But if there's a road, a lot more people will be there.

Huh. You're not getting it. Pack in pack out isn't just for wilderness areas. OP needs to haul odor free, keep animals out (odor free). The same (most strict) rules cover disposal of food and water while boondocking. Probably not in the desert, but anywhere pretty much with rain and warmth the rules are the same. BTW, just because it is called wilderness doesn't mean the DESIGNATED campsites aren't heavily used.

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[foobar]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Huh. You're not getting it. Pack in pack out isn't just for wilderness areas. OP needs to haul odor free, keep animals out (odor free). The same (most strict) rules cover disposal of food and water while boondocking. Probably not in the desert, but anywhere pretty much with rain and warmth the rules are the same. BTW, just because it is called wilderness doesn't mean the DESIGNATED campsites aren't heavily used.

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Yup. Leave no trace, leave the site better than when you arrived ... Boy Scout Credo... Good philosophy to live by...

[hikingcamera]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Huh. You're not getting it. Pack in pack out isn't just for wilderness areas. OP needs to haul odor free, keep animals out (odor free). The same (most strict) rules cover disposal of food and water while boondocking. Probably not in the desert, but anywhere pretty much with rain and warmth the rules are the same. BTW, just because it is called wilderness doesn't mean the DESIGNATED campsites aren't heavily used.[/URL]

At the risk of speaking for someone else, I think what Wayne & Sam meant by “I wouldn’t go burying stuff” is that you should pack everything out, not bury food scraps or what not in high use areas. That same rule does apply to high use backcountry areas as well, sometimes even burying your human waste is not allowed there and you have to blue bag or use pit toilets to avoid over saturating the area with buried material that is not meant to be there.

[Gene]

As stated above, you may run out of water or fill up your grey or black water tanks before you run out of garbage storage spaces. We always found that our boondocking limit was about 4 days before we were running out of fresh water and the grey water was filling. If we were more careful, we probably could have extended it to a week.

Some other thoughts:

Separate trash (no food) and garbage (food) so you have a lot less garbage volume. Compress the garbage bag by stepping on it and it'll take less space. Make sure you have a good quality bag before you compress it.

Burying anything can mean something digs it up. Many animals have better noses than we do (bears and dogs for ex.) and will dig up whatever smells interesting.

Use small garbage bags as they are easier to stow. Some ordinary plastic containers seal pretty well and if you put plastic wrap around the opening and push the cover down on it, seals even better (same idea as teflon tape on plumbing connections). Bear proof containers are readily available. REI has a screw top 7 liter container for around $75. Theoretically you can leave bear proof containers outside until you are ready to move on. Amazon has a 4 pack of plastic bags that are odor proof for about $25. A large container with a screw top that is not strong enough to resist a bear could be a cheaper substitute. Maybe stores specializing in containers have something like that. They would have to be stored inside.

Fast.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by hikingcamera

At the risk of speaking for someone else, I think what Wayne & Sam meant by “I wouldn’t go burying stuff” is that you should pack everything out, not bury food scraps or what not in high use areas. That same rule does apply to high use backcountry areas as well, sometimes even burying your human waste is not allowed there and you have to blue bag or use pit toilets to avoid over saturating the area with buried material that is not meant to be there.

Well, checking the regional environmental rules is in order. In BWCAW, they require food scraps, dish water, etc to be placed in a hole 150 feet from shoreline. Each site has a fiberglass latrine, but there are provisions for the same basic hole for human waste when away from sites.
This is an area where decomposition is fairly rapid. Again, obviously, the desert, for example, is a different environment and is not conducive to decomposition.

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[Gene]

Colorado public lands are increasingly requiring packing out anything and not digging holes, whether desert or not. You haver to check each place because the rules are changing and evolving.

[dznf0g]

We've wandered. OP want to know how to carry garbage out in an SUV. I still maintain that the barrel in post 5 is a good solution. As long as the exterior is kept clean it will keep animals away, and it is absolutely odor free in the SUV.
They are available in 30 and 60 liters. We carry 2, 30 liter ones on canoe trips, as the 60 liter is heavy when filled with food. For suv use, I'd probably opt for the 60 liter.

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