Let's talk trash

[holstein13]

Here's a subject I haven't seen very often on these forums. What are the best waste management practices you've seen at campgrounds?

I've seen three:

1. Small trash cans on each loop where you take your trash
2. One or more large dumpsters at the park entrance
3. Just leave your trash at the front of your site between daybreak and 1:00 pm. (my all-time favorite method)

My favorite is number three because it's so easy and the trash just magically disappears.

I'm also curious, do you folks buy trash bags or do you recycle the plastic shopping bags you get from the grocery store?

[CavemanCharlie]

mlts22 wrote:

holstein13 wrote:
Have any of you put a bag of trash in the bed of your truck for disposal on the way out and then simply drove right past the dumpster because your mind was on the trip ahead?

I have.

Best one I've encountered were people jumping into the bed of my truck, grabbing the garbage I had, throwing it into another vehicle, and driving off like they just heisted the Hope Diamond.

Since my rig is winterized, I use bags to line the toilet, then place those bags (after closing them tightly) in another garbage bag... so the garbage bag takers will be opening the back to a nasty surprise.

As for garbage, I like more than one thing mentioned. Trash pickup is a nice thing, but I am OK with garbage cans at the campsites (for small stuff), as well as dumpsters (for dealing with a lot of waste.)

Since I mainly boondock, I also do some things to minimize waste, so I have a minimum of trash coming with me:

1: I have tightly-fitting containers for food. I pour boxes of cereal into them, then toss the empty boxes at the grocery store. Frozen foods, I make sure I photograph the time to prepare and instructions, then chuck the box. This not just gets rid of trash, but allows me to stuff more items into the freezer. The funny thing, I left a plastic container of cereal in there for nine months... still quite edible. Storing in containers instead of boxes also keep the vermin at bay.

2: When tossing things that are not useful with #1, I try to tear paper stuff up. Just tearing a box up into pieces saves a lot of room.

3: I have been looking at shampoo/soap dispensers, but because I'm planning to change rigs in a year or two, I've not bothered to do this. However, this is definitely something worth doing to save space, and definitely will be a part of my next rig's kitchen and bathroom.

4: I also am using rechargable batteries. My next rig is getting a 300 watt Morningstar inverter whose sole purpose in life is to feed a dedicated circuit for those items.

Pretty much, the less paper and packaging that goes in the RV, the less that has to come out.

I love your waste minimization plans. Though, I personally usually burn the cardboard boxes from stuff in the fire.

Maybe I don't understand what you said but, why would anyone jump in your truck and steal your garbage ???

[IDoMyOwnStunts]

mlts22 wrote:
Frozen foods, I make sure I photograph the time to prepare and instructions, then chuck the box.

That is genius! Thanks! My daughter loves those crustless chicken pot pies, but they take up a lot of space in the freezer.

[2012Coleman]

Boy! This thread is really getting into some trash talk! 😛

[mlts22]

holstein13 wrote:
Have any of you put a bag of trash in the bed of your truck for disposal on the way out and then simply drove right past the dumpster because your mind was on the trip ahead?

I have.

Best one I've encountered were people jumping into the bed of my truck, grabbing the garbage I had, throwing it into another vehicle, and driving off like they just heisted the Hope Diamond.

Since my rig is winterized, I use bags to line the toilet, then place those bags (after closing them tightly) in another garbage bag... so the garbage bag takers will be opening the back to a nasty surprise.

As for garbage, I like more than one thing mentioned. Trash pickup is a nice thing, but I am OK with garbage cans at the campsites (for small stuff), as well as dumpsters (for dealing with a lot of waste.)

Since I mainly boondock, I also do some things to minimize waste, so I have a minimum of trash coming with me:

1: I have tightly-fitting containers for food. I pour boxes of cereal into them, then toss the empty boxes at the grocery store. Frozen foods, I make sure I photograph the time to prepare and instructions, then chuck the box. This not just gets rid of trash, but allows me to stuff more items into the freezer. The funny thing, I left a plastic container of cereal in there for nine months... still quite edible. Storing in containers instead of boxes also keep the vermin at bay.

2: When tossing things that are not useful with #1, I try to tear paper stuff up. Just tearing a box up into pieces saves a lot of room.

3: I have been looking at shampoo/soap dispensers, but because I'm planning to change rigs in a year or two, I've not bothered to do this. However, this is definitely something worth doing to save space, and definitely will be a part of my next rig's kitchen and bathroom.

4: I also am using rechargable batteries. My next rig is getting a 300 watt Morningstar inverter whose sole purpose in life is to feed a dedicated circuit for those items.

Pretty much, the less paper and packaging that goes in the RV, the less that has to come out.

[CavemanCharlie]

I only weekend camp at local campgrounds in my area. There was a time, back in the day, that everybody had a trash can at their site. Those days are over. Most places I go do have a dumpster. There are no bears in my area so I just use a small kitchen garbage can outside my TT and take the garbage to the dumpster at the end of the weekend.

It seems to me that many of you should be thinking about where all that garbage comes from !! Why are you getting that much garbage to begin with? With a few simple changes you can eliminate a lot of that garbage.

Better for you, better for the park, and better for the environment.

[Dakzuki]

The best I have seen was in Oregon at a State Park. They had one centralized trash/recycling (even a dedicated 1 lb LP cylinder bin) which was away from the sites. It made things much quieter and keeping the dumpsters away keeps wasps away.

[Jim_Shoe]

I buy 33 gallon bags for paper trash and 13 gallon bags for wet garbage and food waste. I have frames they fit into. All at Sam's Club. The wet garbage always goes in the dumpster to keep the animals from getting into it. The paper garbage bags also go in the dumpster if there's room, but I can take it with me to the next stop if needed. Its just paper trash and it lives in the Jeep toad when I'm moving. I always stay at FHU CGs, so I've never encountered a problem.

[holstein13]

Have any of you put a bag of trash in the bed of your truck for disposal on the way out and then simply drove right past the dumpster because your mind was on the trip ahead?

I have.

[thestoloffs]

Naio wrote:
When I was in the san francisco bay area, they had municipal composting bins right next to the dumpsters! I loved that. And a big separate dumpster for recyclables.

Amen to that, my friend. I am appalled at how many campgrounds -- both commercial and governmental -- have no recycling facilities.

I can somewhat accept the argument that the local dump/service "may" have no bulk recycling, but that should be a red flag in today's world!

[Tvov]

Dumpsters at the dump site.

Drives me crazy when we pack up to leave, put our full trash bags in the back of the pickup truck, and go to the dump site on our way out. Dump the waste tanks, and go throw the trash bags in the dumpster.... IF there is one! Preferably more than one (many times the dumpster, at places with only one dumpster, is full by Sunday afternoon).

Having dumpsters at the dump site is just such a logical thing to do, I just don't understand why some campgrounds don't do that. I've driven home with garbage a few times because we either couldn't find the dumpster, or I just wanted to get on the road home.

If the dumpsite is not in a convenient spot in the campground, then they should have more dumpsters strategically placed where needed in the campground.

It is important to have dumpsters or garbage cans easily accessible in logical places, to avoid people just throwing garbage on the ground (as too many do), or burning in the fire pit, or worse leaving it in the firepit for the next campers to find. Garbage cans should be by bathrooms, rec rooms, pavilions, etc. Recycling is great, but that requires the campground management to stay on top of keeping the separate garbage cans, well, separate - and emptied.

Having campsite garbage pickup is nice, but the few campgrounds we've been to that do that inevitably have missed garbage bags, or people leave them out too early, or the pickup crew comes at the wrong time - which all leads to full garbage bags sitting at campsites. Which leads me to believe that is why some campgrounds do the site pickup during the week - so bags aren't left out on the weekends, which doesn't look all that attractive.

At least one campground we went to had certain days and/or weekends where they allowed "large" items to be put by the dumpsters - appliances, furniture, etc. This is a great idea, and allowed the campground office to arrange with the garbage company to be ready to pickup more than just garbage.

With some thought, garbage disposal can be made easier and simple, and people will appreciate it.


(let's not get into the slobs that exist everywhere, you can't do much about that)

[Bucky_Badger]

I don't care where the trash is put, I'm just glad there is a place

[rk911]

Murphsmom wrote:
For us, taking the garbage to the dumpster at the campground entrance is an excellent reason for walking the dog at the end of the day...

X2!

[Naio]

When I was in the san francisco bay area, they had municipal composting bins right next to the dumpsters! I loved that. And a big separate dumpster for recyclables.

[down_home]

The better places, for lack, of a better term, have trash pickup every morning and some places throughout the day.