When we go camping, whether or not you are using a bucket toilet, chemical or simply doing your dirt in the ground, we need to keep it as environmentally friendly as possible.
Using plastic bags to bury our waste carries untold negatives and bad effects for the environment and nature. A plastic bag will never break down, and if it ever does, it is not going to do any benefit to the surrounding earth. In fact, it will no doubt poison the soil over time, slowing down growth or blocking it all together.
Plastic is a huge concern for people all around the world and has, in recent times, gathered a lot of momentum on social media. Mainly due to the terrifying videos made of landfills and clogged beaches, washed up whales filled with plastics has shocked the world, and caused action.
We now realize how much our waste can affect our local trails, forests and campsites. So, we must be more aware of what we are using ourselves. Manufacturers are using this to release environmentally friendly products such as biodegradable trash bags, which we can use in conjunction with our camping toilets.
After our waste is done in a bucket toilet or camping commode for example, we can then wrap up the eco-friendly bag and successfully bury it. Remember to bury it at least 10 meters away from any public trail with the correct sized cat hole.
The beauty of this bag is the bag will break down naturally and cause no damage or negative effect to the surrounding nature and wildlife. This is what we want, as campers to leave the smallest footprint environmentally, as possible. This helps us to do so.
If you’re curious to find out more about the bucket or commode style camping toilets, then check out the thorough reviews done by thetenthub.com which have an all in 1 guide on camping toilets and methods. They also have an article on ethical methods that can be used when disposing of waste on the trail.
Chemical toilets work in a slightly different way by using chemicals to break down the waste and then they are generally emptied into a communal waste tank, where everyone using a chemical toilet can empty together. This is then collected by waste management trucks and disposed of by that county.
However, if you are using plastic bags for any reason while out on your trip, whether it be for disposing of waste from foods or waste from toilets, you can utilize the various sizes of compostable bags, to set an example of how we should be moving forward together in an eco-manner.
Again, check out thetenthub for guides and methods of camping with toilets, and we hope you can be inspired to use less plastic on your future trips.