What To Do With Rubbish

Rubbish and waste accumulated whilst free camping is a huge issue both in regards to storage and hygiene.   We all see the effects of those vile lazy self absorbed campers who have gone before use, leaving their trash strewn about whilst still expecting their mums to clean up after them. Its not about donning a Caftan and joining Greenpeace when I say everyone should be environmentally responsible.   Its about being considerate of other campers and respectful of the facilities that are provided for all of us to enjoy.   We are all personally responsible for all our own waste and rubbish, not councils, Parks services and local communities The provision of a bin in a freecamp is not a right, its a bonus.   The providers of those facilities deserve a hearty thankyou and a healthy dose of respect not a pile of our rubbish to pickup. The absence of a bin or if the bin is full is not a personal affront or outrage and the trigger to dump your rubbish for someone else to take care of, it just means that the responsibility you have to manage you own waste continues until you can deal with appropriately. Im certainly no Greenie, but I absolutely subscribed to the the leave no trace ethos.   Its insulting easy to clean up after myself, and it’s something every single camper should consciously and collectively aspire to. Half burnt rubbish and old food cans left in smouldering fire pits does not constitute cleaning up either.   Barb always likes to take out at least three  piece of rubbish everywhere we go.   Its her way of making a small unsung difference. Enter the spare wheel gear bag as a necessary, under rated and peerless piece of equipment. A spare wheel gear bag provides a cheap and relatively hygienic rubbish storage receptacle.  The bags have drain holes in the bottom for leakages and hosing out and they hold a fair quantity of rubbish.   Being a permanent fixture, the spare wheel bags make rubbish collection routinely easy to keep on top of.  Using shopping bags, or bin liners also reduces smell and makes emptying the wheel bag in the next town a breeze.