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

[foobar]

Hi Folks. Looking forward to getting our first trailer and first Airstream from the dealer next week. Then we plan on solar/inverter/lithium battery upgrades + generators with the goal of enabling boondocking.

I have tent camped for many, many (did I say many?) years, but those were usually shorter trips. A few days, perhaps a week at most.

Some questions comes to mind with regard to boondocking in an Airstream:

What do you do with respect to handling garbage?

Note: I come from a strict boy scout background (leave no trace, leave the campsite better than you found it) and I believe in that ethos 100%.

I have an SUV for a tow vehicle, so just tossing stinky bags in the back of a pickup truck for disposal later isn't a great option.

So, here is what I would like to pick your brains on...

1. What steps do you take when planning or prepping in order to minimize garbage when camping?

2. How do you handle the garbage when camping? Do you store it in heavy garbage bags? Do you burn cardboard and combustibles in the campfire? Do you bury it or leave it at the campsite (please don't say you do that )?

3. What do you do with any garbage that you bring out of the wilderness with you? Especially when you are camping far from home (I.e. disposing of it via your home garbage service is not an option). Do you swing by an dipsy dumpster at a store or walmart in town when no one is looking ?

As the National Enquirer says ... "Enquiring Minds Want to Know" (is that rag still in print?)...

[Dennis C]

I think those are good questions, but you’re not going to like my answer to the garbage management question. I throw the garbage bags in the back of my pickup truck and dispose of them later. This can often be done at places like Love’s gas stations. I find that smaller garbage bags are easier to manage. My storage facility also has a dumpster, so I sometimes use that when I return from a boondocking trip.

When boondocking for more than a couple of days, you’ve got to find a balance between garbage production and water usage. You can easily reduce garbage by washing and reusing plates, silverware, etc. However, this will require fresh water and it will fill your gray tank. Some people wash dishes in a bucket using the outside shower. This is a slightly controversial action though because it’s essentially putting grey water on the ground.

For true remote boondocking, there aren’t many other options. For boondocking in a state park (essentially dry camping) there are often dumpsters available somewhere in the park.

Personally, I don’t burn garbage in the campfire. It’s so dry out west right now that campfires are often not allowed and we have to use our portable gas firepit.

[Mollysdad]

I don't think there's a perfect solution, especially if you have pets and pick up after them.
The best improvement was buying a 75L. (13 gal.) step trash can with a lid to replace the dinky tiny open can under the sink. I bought the Simple Human because it was the thinnest one with a side step so it doesn't take much room by the stove.
Then, my bag goes in the back of the truck often with a bag of doggie doo added inside. Since I have a hard tonneau, it doesn't attract animals, but with a SUV????

I once approached a dumpster with the lid open and I had a bag of doggy doo. Inside the dumpster was the cutest raccoon searching for a treat. He looked at me with hopeful eyes. "Sorry, pal, this just isn't going to be your day!" <Toss>

[John Ware]

Coons and opossums will eat doggy doo.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by foobar

Hi Folks. Looking forward to getting our first trailer and first Airstream from the dealer next week. Then we plan on solar/inverter/lithium battery upgrades + generators with the goal of enabling boondocking.

I have tent camped for many, many (did I say many?) years, but those were usually shorter trips. A few days, perhaps a week at most.

Some questions comes to mind with regard to boondocking in an Airstream:

What do you do with respect to handling garbage?

Note: I come from a strict boy scout background (leave no trace, leave the campsite better than you found it) and I believe in that ethos 100%.

I have an SUV for a tow vehicle, so just tossing stinky bags in the back of a pickup truck for disposal later isn't a great option.

So, here is what I would like to pick your brains on...

1. What steps do you take when planning or prepping in order to minimize garbage when camping?

2. How do you handle the garbage when camping? Do you store it in heavy garbage bags? Do you burn cardboard and combustibles in the campfire? Do you bury it or leave it at the campsite (please don't say you do that )?

3. What do you do with any garbage that you bring out of the wilderness with you? Especially when you are camping far from home (I.e. disposing of it via your home garbage service is not an option). Do you swing by an dipsy dumpster at a store or walmart in town when no one is looking ?

As the National Enquirer says ... "Enquiring Minds Want to Know" (is that rag still in print?)...

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.

[hikingcamera]

If we are boondocking for any length of time, we simply use backcountry practices. Wipe plates clean with reusable clothes rather than rinse them. Cook meals that are simpler and limit cleanup. Reduce packaging before we go out (even better, try to buy things that have less packaging to begin with). I have been on week-long backpacking trips and came out with only a quart-sized bag or two of trash. (More like 2 now that I used so many pre-packaged freeze-dried meals.)

You can pre-mix some things together (somewhere I still have the recipe for instant/quick beans and rice, the proportions and timing to cook them together in the same pot).

These days 90% of our trash is diapers, but once even trailer camping, we used to walk away from a long weekend (4-ish days) with maybe a gallon or 2 gallon sized ziplock of trash (for 2 adults). It’s honestly hard to imagine, even after a week, having more than one large trash bag. The trash, even if you bag it and bring it with you (which I totally agree with you on Leave No Trace) still ends up in the earth somewhere.

[GetawA-S]

Two small tips:
We bring frozen soups in plastic storage containers. It precooks the fridge and reduces power draw until completely thawed. We wipe the empty container (and any empty oily dish) with a paper towel before washing to greatly reduce dishwater.
On the grill, I use a solid plate covered with parchment paper. It browns better than foil and reduces waste.
Inside my propane tank cover, I installed a plywood piece that creates a space for my chocks between uses. It’s a handy place to stow trash or recyclables that I don’t want inside.
Happy travels!

[SouthForkAS]

Practice resource management at home based on your Boy Scout experience. 30+ gallon Hefty bags may seem like too much, but calculate how often you'll go into town or somewhere with trash disposal and plan accordingly. The same method works for holding tanks. Two weeks is the limit for me (3 35 gallon tanks, one black, two grey) and I dump either the trailer or use a macerator pump with a Barker 42 gal blue boy (so as not to move the rig if there's no 14 day limit).
Watch what you cook and eat then figure out the least waste possible and still have a life.
This will prep you for garbage/trash disposal and pot/pan/dishes cleaning. My 40 gal fresh tank doesn't even make it ten days, even without taking showers and being more frugal than I ever thought possible! So I carry 5 6 gal water containers. (my fav is Blue Igloo from Walmart about $16 each).
I also use "Survival Wipes" between shower days.
There are many ways to stretch it out. If you go into town for supplies, you can most likely take a "luxurious" hot shower.

Start there, then adjust as you spend more time in the boonies. You can learn a lot from the more experienced campers around you.
Happy camping!

[DonRich7878]

Originally Posted by John Ware

Coons and opossums will eat doggy doo.

An opossum is never around when you need one.

[John Ware]

Originally Posted by DonRich7878

An opossum is never around when you need one.

Possums and coons were eating my chickens before I put an automatic door on my coop. They were still coming around trying to get in so I moved my feeders from the outside to the inside and they quit coming around. Another draw is a dog bowl but I don't have a dog anymore.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you are out at some sort of "no power" campsite, most of them have dumpsters. You haul the trash over and drop it in. There are a *lot* of places like this.

If you are off on BLM land someplace then yes, you have an issue. First up is bears. They have a great sense of smell. They can track a food source from a *long* ways away. You very much do not want to be a bear attractor. Next up are smaller items like coyotes and wolves. You then get to raccoons and the like. Eventually you get to mice and squirrels. Having the mice decide to snack on the SUV wiring after coming over for the garbage bag ... really bad news.

How much of a problem are each of the items on that list? It depends a lot on where you are. Finding areas "way out there" you can legally camp on it pretty much an "out west" sort of thing. All of that area has at least some of the stuff on the list. Much of it is bear country.

If you have a meal, you will have garbage of some sort. If it's more than fits in the garbage can in the trailer, it's gotta go someplace. One of the advantages of a truck as a TV is that it can go in the bed ( with some risk ). In an SUV, bag it up tight and don't let is sit for weeks.

Further complicating things: The resource that is most likely to limit you "out and about" is water. Cleaning up this and that / flushing stuff down the drain uses water. Paper plates reduce water usage. Do you increase garbage and extend your stay? No easy answers ....

As you rumble around, finding a dumpster here or there may be exciting. A lot of them seem to have locks on them. Seems that they don't want people pulling up and emptying a full pickup load into their dumpster. ( Yes, we've seen folks do exactly that). My guess is it doesn't take to many events to send people looking for a padlock.

Bob

[Janet H]

Manage the amount of trash you generate by packing thoughtfully, removing any packaging you can as you are packing. Cereal boxes, etc take up space. Repackage in nestable reusable containers.

Avoid paper plates, etc.

Prewash and trim any produce you pack so there's no waste.

Avoid canned and bottle beverages if possible. Take a reusable water bottle and add powdered drink mix to water.

Beer cans/bottle: Wine uses less packaging per drink, whiskey even less

[Silvr_Bullet]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

If you are out at some sort of "no power" campsite, most of them have dumpsters. You haul the trash over and drop it in. There are a *lot* of places like this.

If you are off on BLM land someplace then yes, you have an issue. First up is bears. They have a great sense of smell. They can track a food source from a *long* ways away. You very much do not want to be a bear attractor. Next up are smaller items like coyotes and wolves. You then get to raccoons and the like. Eventually you get to mice and squirrels. Having the mice decide to snack on the SUV wiring after coming over for the garbage bag ... really bad news.

How much of a problem are each of the items on that list? It depends a lot on where you are. Finding areas "way out there" you can legally camp on it pretty much an "out west" sort of thing. All of that area has at least some of the stuff on the list. Much of it is bear country.

If you have a meal, you will have garbage of some sort. If it's more than fits in the garbage can in the trailer, it's gotta go someplace. One of the advantages of a truck as a TV is that it can go in the bed ( with some risk ). In an SUV, bag it up tight and don't let is sit for weeks.

Further complicating things: The resource that is most likely to limit you "out and about" is water. Cleaning up this and that / flushing stuff down the drain uses water. Paper plates reduce water usage. Do you increase garbage and extend your stay? No easy answers ....

As you rumble around, finding a dumpster here or there may be exciting. A lot of them seem to have locks on them. Seems that they don't want people pulling up and emptying a full pickup load into their dumpster. ( Yes, we've seen folks do exactly that). My guess is it doesn't take to many events to send people looking for a padlock.

Bob

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.

[Mollysdad]

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.

There was a famous case here years ago. It was a convenience store, and some guy in a sports car had a paper napkin that he tossed in the store's dumpster. A police car was nearby with a sergeant training a rookie, so they arrested the customer, cuffed him and took him to the police station where he sat for three hours until someone got him out.
Keep in mind, he could have tossed it on the ground, but thinking he was doing the right thing, he put it in a dumpster. Yes, someone is watching and they may be idiots.
Charges were dropped when the news got ahold of the story.

[A.S. Beauty]

Burning is fine if it's approved in that area and it's burn season. That's how people in rural areas do it.

Another option that I think is lesser known is to look for a Transfer Station, which is basically a makeshift county dump where you can dispose of waste, recycle, etc. (and they haul it to the county dump from there). They aren't well marked or explained, but that's a great option. They typically charge a little money for the service. The logo for one looks a little like a recycle symbol... sometimes that's all the advertising you get when you're driving around, but you can google it or google map it.

Sometimes they also offer waste/black water dumping.

I don't let garbage sit long because it inevitably leaks and gets maggots, etc.... yuk! When I had an SUV, I'd toss a bag on top or hold it out the window and take it to a transfer station... (when I couldn't industrial strength black bag it).

[kbmwrs]

I'd suggest to do what you did when you tent camped so many times for up to a week.

I doubt if you really plan on boondocking more than that at one time.

[farafield]

Garbage is a huge attractant for wildlife. Here in the northeast (VT) bears are increasingly coming near homes and getting into garbage cans left outside, bird feeders, and even cars that have food inside. Then they get shot, and F&W uses it to support bear hunting and hounding. Depending on where you are, this is something to keep in mind. When wildlife gets more bold about being around people because people are attracting it, it means the end of life for that critter.

[WestieHouse]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

There was a famous case here years ago. It was a convenience store, and some guy in a sports car had a paper napkin that he tossed in the store's dumpster. A police car was nearby with a sergeant training a rookie, so they arrested the customer, cuffed him and took him to the police station where he sat for three hours until someone got him out.
Keep in mind, he could have tossed it on the ground, but thinking he was doing the right thing, he put it in a dumpster. Yes, someone is watching and they may be idiots.
Charges were dropped when the news got ahold of the story.

Probably could happen in most jurisdictions under the circumstances you described. I would try to avoid locales where that’s the LEO attitude and culture. Possibly their intent, though maybe in contrast with the C of C and/or local tourism organizations. Unfortunately, some RV travelers aren’t as considerate as most of those writing on this post.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by farafield

Garbage is a huge attractant for wildlife. Here in the northeast (VT) bears are increasingly coming near homes and getting into garbage cans left outside, bird feeders, and even cars that have food inside. Then they get shot, and F&W uses it to support bear hunting and hounding. Depending on where you are, this is something to keep in mind. When wildlife gets more bold about being around people because people are attracting it, it means the end of life for that critter.

See post #5

Sent from my SM-G950U using Airstream Forums mobile app

[Silvr_Bullet]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

There was a famous case here years ago. It was a convenience store, and some guy in a sports car had a paper napkin that he tossed in the store's dumpster. A police car was nearby with a sergeant training a rookie, so they arrested the customer, cuffed him and took him to the police station where he sat for three hours until someone got him out.

Keep in mind, he could have tossed it on the ground, but thinking he was doing the right thing, he put it in a dumpster. Yes, someone is watching and they may be idiots.

Charges were dropped when the news got ahold of the story.

Maybe he should have saved that napkins in his pocket till he got home. May have been a news worthy story, but the point is don’t do it.[emoji57]