I love camping. I love the feeling of setting up my tent, having a campfire, and relaxing in the outdoors. But since I have become more aware of the waste I create, I have realized that for me, food while camping is easily associated with the words “quick” and “easy”. I have become accustomed to eating packaged food and carrying snacks in disposable Ziploc bags. As most of the packaging isn’t recyclable, this year I really tried to change my habits and pay attention to what did and did not work for me. I believe these tips for low waste camping will work for backpacking, car camping, and everything in between.
If you are looking for quick and easy meals and snacks, find the ones with the Terracycle logo.
Terracycle is a company that partners with major product companies to collect and recycle their items, often at no extra cost to the consumer. Terracyle is a great way to find recycling options for items not recyclable in your curbside bin.
When shopping for meals and snacks at REI for our most recent camping trip, my hubby cleverly purchased the brand Cliff Bar for snacks and Backpackers Pantry for dehydrated meals. Both of these brands have a Terracycle program. So after our trip ended, we packed out our empty packages and sent them back to Terracycle for recycling.
Pre-plan your snacks and meals
Before I go on any outdoor trip, I always make a menu. This menu has categories for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. On my recent canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), I decided to fill the snack category with food I could find at the bulk aisle at my local co-op. My snacks from the bulk aisle included: trail mix, granola, banana chips, chocolate covered almonds (yes!), and chocolate covered pretzels. I reused old Ziploc baggies for lightweight transport for all of the snacks, eliminating my use of virgin plastic.
Pack out all of your compost
If you have organic waste (orange peels, leftover food, etc.) make sure to pack it out and compost it where you can. When my husband and I went glamping earlier this year at Whitetail Woods Regional Park, Dakota County Parks had composting available at the park (amazing!) . It took very little effort to dispose of our organics in the most appropriate way, thanks to their efforts.
What’s your favorite low waste or zero waste camping trick?