Garbage: any hints or helpers or trash tips

rockhillmanor wrote:


It tells me my RV'ing garbage equals around 100% of what I buy when unable to recycle.

Isn't that shocking?

Hard to believe that so much of what we bring home from the store is PACKAGING! No wonder "supermarkets" have to be so big...

I use grocery bags as garbage bags and take it to the dumpster at the end of the day. As I mentioned in my other post I have yet to stay at a CG that had a recycling bin. I full time so there is no taking it home with me so sadly it is going in the trash.

Interestingly when I run out of grocery bags I am also running out of food! Been on the road full time for a few years now and it still amazes me of this phenomenon.

It tells me my RV'ing garbage equals around 100% of what I buy when unable to recycle.

We spend half our year in a 5th wheel and the other half in a sailboat. The sailboat is the larger challenge. When we are out in the San Juan islands, mostly those that are state parks, garbage is pack it in/pack it out. Also our refrigeration is more limited. So the garbage question starts with what goes on board in the first place. We buy meat in smaller quantities, but more often, so I get it from the butcher counter and have it wrapped. Or we'll buy small quantities of frozen fish that will be thawed the third or fourth day out. We also pressure can meat in the fifth wheel in the cold weather for consumption on the boat. The canning jars have their place on the boat whether they are full or empty. I try to buy stuff from the bulk food dept. so I can use containers that work with our storage areas. We use a couple of the smaller Brita filter pitchers for our water. We got the smaller ones because they fit in the door of the fridge in the fifth wheel, but they stay on the counter on the boat or in the sink when we're underway. That saves tremendously on space over using bottled water.
It's been a huge adjustment as I was one of those who loves a well stock larder when we lived in our house. Now when I shop I have to consider "Where am I going to put this?"

I camp alone 98% of the time. Most trips are two nighters. I don't do any major cooking. Just the same, I seem to fill two kitchen sized bags per trip. I even crush and roll up my water bottles before throwing them in. Anything that might stink doesn't even go in my trash, but gets an instant hike to the dumpster.

I agree with the others with regards to full dumpsters. If it is a constant problem, the park needs to get another one.

Oh, if the campsite dumpster is full, I'm with Rockhillmanor -- just put our bags on top or next to it. We have run into that many times. The campgrounds where I've talked to the manager said not to worry about it, as they would have a special dumpster pickup on Sunday afternoon or first thing on Monday.

I would think that there is a big difference between "weekenders" and full-timers regarding garbage, and type of camper/RV. We are weekenders, and I have taken our garbage home from rustic state parks that I either couldn't find the dumpster or forgot I had it in the back of the truck when we were leaving. The back of my pickup truck is fine with bags of garbage in it if necessary... with a Class C or A I would think I would mind it a bit more, having garbage in the camper!

We don't worry so much about how much garbage we create, as we are there only for 2 or 3 days. We use a lot of paper plates and plastic utensils for easy cleanup. We do not burn plastic in campfires, but will burn most of our paper products before leaving -- I have NEVER left a campfire burning, or even hot coals, when leaving a campsite.

It really is a toss up....packaging that you can throw away, or packaging that you have to wash, using up your water supply.
We recycle our water bottles, so those go back home with us, and really don't pose a "threat" with regard to wild animals, so we can put those in a 5-gal pail outside the RV.
We try to keep it low-tech...using packaging that will crush easily (as compared to tin cans), so that it will take up less space.

Fortunately, we're not really 3-meal/day eaters......rather going for a Brunch and dinner, so that pretty much eliminates about 1/3 of our trash too.

Since we haven't taken a long trip yet, I can't speak for long term trash, but we're usually good with a single 30-gal kitchen trash bag.....if need be, we'll just take it home with us.:)

Definitely agree that we should (and we do) leave the campsite better than we found it. Years in the Boy Scouts pretty much drilled that into us:B

Yes when you start RV'ing it becomes real clear how much garbage a person creates daily. At home you just don't seem to notice because you are not having to move it daily like in a CG.

I change nothing regarding cooking or purchasing food habits. It's only a bag of garbage and there are dumpsters at all CG's so for me it's not big deal.

When on the road RV'ing there are not many CG's that offer recycling bins. That bothers me a bit.

But a full dumpster does not. That is the CG's problem not mine. If it's full and I am leaving, my bag is put on top even if it takes a balancing act. Or on the ground up against the dumpster. I paid for the site AND a dumpster for my garbage. It most certainly is not coming with me in the RV!