July 23, 2024
Found in “Skills and tips”
If you hear the phrase, “Leave No Trace,” you probably think about picking up trash on the trails. And you’re right, packing out your garbage is part of Leave No Trace’s third principle: dispose of waste properly. But there is a lot more to Leave No Trace than just trash!
Leave No Trace is a set of seven principles that help us minimize our impact when we spend time outdoors. They include pre-trip actions like how to plan ahead and prepare as well as on-trail tips for how to travel and camp on durable surfaces or respect wildlife. And of course info on how to dispose of waste properly. Cleaning up granola bar wrappers and sandwich bags is obvious, but disposing of other kinds of waste can be confusing.
What is trash?
To start with, what is trash? I don’t have to tell you that your granola bar wrapper or your water bottle are trash. But are orange peels, peanut shells, and apple cores trash? You might be surprised to find out that even though some items are biodegradable, they are trash and you should pack them out with you. A helpful saying to remember is: “if it doesn’t grow there, it doesn’t go there.” It can take up to 2 years for an orange peel to decompose. In the meantime, it can ruin the natural beauty of outdoor spaces and attract wildlife.
What about dog poop? Is it trash? While dogs might be animals, they certainly aren’t wild and they aren’t native to our North American ecosystem. Domestic dog poop contains bacteria and parasites that can spread to wildlife. The nitrogen and phosphorus in dog feces can also cause algae blooms in waterways that damage aquatic habitats. Scoop up your pups poop and pack it out with you. To help with the smell, you can drop the doggy bag in a small sealed container, like an old peanut butter jar.
How to pack out human waste
When you gotta go, you gotta go. But what should you do if you’re out on the trails nowhere near an outhouse? The first thing to do is head 70 paces (about 60 m/200ft) away from the trail, campground, or water sources. Next, use a trowel to dig a cat hole 15 cm/6” deep. Make your deposit, then cover the hole (known as a ‘cat hole’). Over time, your poop will decompose in the soil and it won’t contaminate water sources, trails, or campgrounds. In some high-use or ecological sensitive areas, you may need to pack out your waste in a Wag Bag. These bags keep waste and smells contained until you can get to a garbage can.
While it may decompose in a cat hole, toilet paper will do so very slowly, so it’s better to pack it out in a sealed bag. If you use toilet paper to pee, pack that out too. Please don’t leave it lying on the ground. It can take up to a year for toilet paper to decompose. After you finish going to the bathroom, be sure to use hand sanitizer to clean your hands. When people get sick on a camping trip, they often blame contaminated water, but the culprit is usually poor hygiene.
If you are menstruating, you’ll need to pack out pads and tampons in a sealed plastic bag. They don’t decompose, so you can’t leave them in an outhouse or cat hole. My pack out bag is a ziploc covered in duct tape so you can’t see what’s inside. If you use a menstrual cup or disc, you can dispose of blood in a 15 cm-deep cat hole that is 70 paces from trails, campground, or water sources.
MEC x KEEN Leave No Trace social media challenge
Until August 23, MEC and KEEN are teaming up to donate $5 from every photo posted to Instagram of a trail clean-up moment (up to $5,000) to Leave No Trace Canada. Get all the details here. For every entry, folks are also entered to win a pair of KEEN Targhee II Mid Waterproof Light Trail Shoes, a shoe that is made without harmful chemicals like PFAS and antimicrobials.
Congratulations to Valerie Graham for winning the MEC x KEEN Leave No Trace challenge and a pair of KEEN Targhee II Trail Shoes.
Learn more about Leave No Trace Canada
For more tips on how to Dispose of Waste Properly or minimize your impact on your next camping or hiking trip, visit LeaveNoTrace.ca. And the next time you see trash on the trail, do your part to help out - pick it up!