26 Jul Recycling When Camping

Posted at 15:31h in Uncategorized by
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Camping season is here. While we are brushing off our gear and prepping supplies, why not add into the mix a simple yet effective recycling set up to bring along? Nothing dampens those nice camping vibes more than those cringy feelings of throwing out what we would normally recycle at home. With a bit of extra planning, we can bring with us everything we’d need to keep on top of all our recycling, so we can sort and dispose of it while away and easily bring home what can’t be processed on site. 

Terms such as “Leave No Trace” and the more recently coined “Zero Waste Camping” are becoming much more popular when it comes to venturing out into the wilderness and minimizing our impact. Similarly, leaving a site better than when we came, also round out those set of values that help preserve our shared outdoor spaces, so we all can enjoy them. Packing out everything we pack in, is easily achieved if we are prepared. 

I suggest bringing 5 receptacles for each of the following: 

Returnables~Recycling~Soft Plastic~Compost~Garbage

  1. Phone ahead or research online what recycling your destination provides. This helps us know what we can leave at the site, and what we need to bring home
  2. Purchase or repurpose some bins, baskets or bags that you can set up while away. Try collapsable or stackable systems such as our bag buddy system available at our Duncan depot (see picture)
  3. Make sure to label each bin and take the family on a quick tour, so they can help out too
  4. Use your grey water at the end of doing dishes to rinse recycling. It will be much more pleasant when you get home if your recycling is prepped and ready to be integrated into your home system
  5. Have your bins handy during the day, and store them in your car (or hang in a tree) at night to deter animals from being drawn to the food scented recycling
  6. Make sure to allot space in your vehicle to transport home what your site doesn’t handle
  7. Let your camping site managers know you appreciate any recycling they do. Let them know it gives them an edge over other campgrounds. Make suggestions for improvements as there are a fair number who don’t recycle much.
  8. Take some time during your trip to go on a garbage clean up tour. It feels great to be part of a growing movement of people who cherish and protect our wild environments
  9. Always use a biodegradable plastic bags for your trash  

 

As the population of the planet increases and more and more people are utilizing our parks and camping sites, it’s more important than ever to leave it better than when we arrived. This encourages the next guest to take care of the site as well, as so on and so on. We can set an example to other campers and site management, as well as our kids. We will feel much better for it. With a bit of planning ahead, we will be set to succeed.

Enjoy your holidays out in the wild. 

Why not minimize what we bring into the wilderness to begin with? Here are my favourite 5 Zero Waste Camping Tips: 

  1. Food Storage: repackage your food in reusable containers and recycle the plastic wrap at home before you leave. (soft plastic can now be recycled)
  2. Prepare your food ahead of time and choose one pot recipes that are easy to warm up making clean up a breeze. 
  3. Use liquid fuel stoves, and solar powered lighting. 
  4. Borrow camping gear. The sharing economy is alive and well. Why not lend and borrow what we use only occasionally?
  5. Bring biodegradable soaps and hygiene supplies. Avoid wet wipes which don’t biodegrade very well

Here’s what Island Return It takes to be recycled:

  1. Ready to drink beverage containers (for a refund)
  2. Cardboard
  3. Mixed drink containers
  4. Soft plastic like candy wrappers or ice bags
  5. Glass jars