Disposing of solid waste

[rockloper]

Ok so you have a double lined bucket that needs to be emptied. First of all, how full do you let it get (never done it before) and secondly where do you dispose of it? TIA

 

[bullfrog !]

As often as possible in smaller quantities, much like parents with newborns disposable diapers. Big difference is with separating pee from poop allowing you to store more longer with much less smell and mess still depositing just a couple gallon bag full of poop at a time.

 

[jacqueg]

Ok so you have a double lined bucket that needs to be emptied. First of all, how full do you let it get (never done it before) and secondly where do you dispose of it? TIA

How full you let it get depends on you and your experience. I use the commercial Doody Bags, I find half to three-quarters full is about right. This allows me about 4 uses.

Dispose of it in any public dumpster. Avoid ordinary trash cans, the received wisdom is that in some places, the trash can contents will be gone through and sorted by some (no doubt) minimum wage employee. Dunno if or how often that’s true, but…

 

[maki2]

It depends on where you are camping. If camping out boondocking where digging cat holes is allowed that is a good solution. Read up on the National Forest service website about cat holes, what they are, how deep to make them, how far from campsites they should be. Obviously only compostable materials should go into them.

 

[rockloper]

A couple of months ago I never thought I'd be saying thanks to the insight of disposing of poo but here I am, thanks everyone for the insights into disposing of poo! Heheheheh

 

[user 36441]

How full you let it get depends on you and your experience. I use the commercial Doody Bags, I find half to three-quarters full is about right. This allows me about 4 uses.

Dispose of it in any public dumpster. Avoid ordinary trash cans, the received wisdom is that in some places, the trash can contents will be gone through and sorted by some (no doubt) minimum wage employee. Dunno if or how often that’s true, but…

Please excuse my ignorance, but how do you keep a running bag without smelling it? Do you keep it closed with a twist tie and open it when using it again? And if so, doesn't it smell bad when you open it?

 

[Texas Gypsy]

There's several different ways. Some use a humanure bucket where you cover your waste with sawdust or peat moss. It does an amazingly good job at controlling odors. I use kitty litter and frequent changes.
Separate urine. It's when the 2 are mixed that it's awful.

 

[Overland One]

As mentioned, separating the liquids form the solids is the key, actually, not mixing them in the first place is better. (Which is probably what people mean when they say that) I use a large mouth gatorade type bottle for liquids, and a bio-degradable bag for solids. My understanding is we can burry the solids in the bags that biodegrade with no issues but, good idea to check in whatever location you are in before doing so. Those pine pellets used for cat litter, presoaked in a baggie so they turn back into sawdust is great for adding to the bag containing the solids as this wipes out any odors. Also, as mentioned, disposing into a dumpster is fine because used baby diapers go into them as well as adult diapers and, people that live in areas where they have to scoop up after their pets toss them in there too so I do not see any issues with doing this.

 

[jacqueg]

Please excuse my ignorance, but how do you keep a running bag without smelling it? Do you keep it closed with a twist tie and open it when using it again? And if so, doesn't it smell bad when you open it?

I use small rodent bedding in my bags. So no, it doesn't smell particularly bad, as long as I keep the lid down, YMMV, of course.

I don't use regular trash bags, I use the commercial Doody Bags. I understand that people who use trash bags do tie them off after each use. Doody Bags are kept in place by the toilet seat, and I don't tie them off.

 

[maki2]

The National Forest Service and BLM instructions for cat hole disposal of human waste says that only your bodies eliminated waste goes into them. They clearly state in the regulations that even toilet paper is not to be put into them.

Before you post things such as what is allowed in a cat hole please take the time to actually read and understand the official regulations on the relevant websites from the authorities controlling the land you are occupying. “Pack it out if you pack it in” includes your used toilet paper even though it is biodegradable.

 

[Happy Camper]

He said:

My understanding is we can burry the solids in the bags that biodegrade with no issues but, good idea to check in whatever location you are in before doing so.

She said:

Before you post things such as what is allowed in a cat hole please take the time to actually read and understand the official regulations on the relevant websites from the authorities controlling the land you are occupying. “Pack it out if you pack it in” includes your used toilet paper even though it is biodegradable.

He never told them to just dig and toss anything in the hole. He said it was his understanding, and to make sure it's ok before doing so.

My suggestion is maybe you read and understand what he posted before aggressively suggesting that he does things in the way he already did.

Just saying.

 

[RonDean]

When boon-docking or hiking I always carry a small portable plastic bidet, available on Amazon for about $10. Then something (rag or similar) that I keep in a zip lock bag to dry my bum afterwards. Solves the TP paper problem and is better for the environment. It doesn't weight that much or take that much space and I think has a lower ick-value that packing used TP around. If you ARE digging holes, make sure to dig >6" deep, far away from camp and trails, and try to naturalize the covered hole as much as possible. This assumes you are carrying something to dig a sufficient hole, so something else (like the bidet) should be no problem. In my RV, I use a diverting toilet. Since I never plan to actually compost it, I dislike using that term.

Since we are splitting hairs about TP disposals, I think we should also be asking if the chemical toilets so many people use are environmentally friendly. According to my research, although toilet chemicals are designed to break down waste matter, some of them can also be toxic. Even when disposed of in a flush toilet, someone - somewhere (waste treatment plant?) downstream must deal with these chemicals. Just because we hit the flush lever and the stuff disappears, doesn't mean "problem solved."

Those plants are designed to allow bacteria to break down human biological waste. How well chemicals are broken down or rendered harmless is not mentioned much or at least is somewhat questionable. Right now, people in many areas are being told not to eat fish because they have become contaminated with chemicals that may never go away. We obviously should have done more research before using those chemicals. So, I am a lot less concerned about any long term impact of a little poop or TP being left in a hole.

​

 

[Overland One]

He said:

She said:

He never told them to just dig and toss anything in the hole. He said it was his understanding, and to make sure it's ok before doing so.

My suggestion is maybe you read and understand what he posted before aggressively suggesting that he does things in the way he already did.

Just saying.

Thanks. I also never even mentioned BLM or National Forest land either and yes, I did say to check in whatever location you are in before doing so. I also never used the term "Cat hole" because in Scouting, I was taught this term referred to digging a hole to relieve yourself in and that is not what I was talking about. I was talking about getting rid of human waste in biodegradable bags. I thought I had covered all the bases there but, oh well, you can't please every one.

 

[maki2]

Going potty must be the number 2 most common discussion in camping forums.

 

[Happy Camper]

Oh man that made me laugh hard. I think I scared the cat.