When nature calls, consider your reply

Posted on 20 January 2012

Whether an adventure is on or off the beaten track, we definitely don’t deserve to be rewarded for our efforts with evidence of the previous visitors’ leavings.

Granted, when there are facilities they’re often not up to snuff; following these tips, suggestions and guidelines there’s no reason other than pure human selfishness to leave anything but the view for the next visitor to marvel at.

But I gotta go!
Sure, by all means, and please take your time. Take this advice from the Leave No Trace Centre for Outdoor Ethics, which teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly (www.lnt.org):

Number one
The urine of a healthy person is sterile and aside from the smell doesn’t pose nearly as much of a problem as …

… number two
If this is your mission, walk at least 70 adult steps (about 60 metres) from any water, trail or campsite and dig a hole between 15 and 20 centimetres deep. Human poo is filled with pathogens, which have made many of world’s water sources undrinkable. It should be everyone’s responsibility to protect water purity.

The job’s not finished until the paperwork is done
If you’re really into being green, you’re probably the kind to use the closest vegetation, stick or stone to hand (you’re also probably laughing at this article).

Then there are those who feel good old two-ply is the only option. When you’re done you could bury it all and put a rock on top of it, but paper doesn’t degrade very fast or well and if (or more likely, when) animals get the scent they’ll dig it up anyway.

Burning the toilet paper before covering isn’t a bad idea if there’s absolutely no risk of setting the bush alight – and by ‘no risk’ I mean desert-like conditions. If you find yourself squatting in a desert, bury the deposit in a shallow hole between five and 10 centimetres deep to allow the sun’s UV rays to dry it out (there’s no organic action to break it down in a desert). Feel free to burn your paper out in the desert sand where no harm can be done.

Make that a takeaway
If you’re in an area with flammable bush or on a rocky outcrop, it’s best to bag the bog roll and take it out. The Leave No Trace mantra is ‘Pack in, pack out’ and they mean it.

If you hike the Fish River Canyon or raft the Orange with a responsible operator, everything you take in should be removed. You may baulk at carrying used toilet paper out of the wilderness, but it’s no different to tampons, pads or disposable nappies (these should never be left behind – they’re barely accept-able in a municipal landfill).

Before you go
The key is preparing properly: while you double check to make sure you haven’t forgotten the toilet paper, get into the habit of adding a few ziplock bags or brown paper packets, a little hand spade and sanitiser.

Tips:

  • Mix plant matter or fire ash into faeces to speed up its break down.
  • Tampons, pads and disposable nappies shouldn’t be disposed of by burial: they’re not biodegradable and animals will dig them up. Burning is no good either; to be completely incinerated they need temperatures way higher than those a campfire is capable of producing.
  • Hikers sometimes use a dedicated dry-bag lined with a plastic bag or two to dispose of used toilet paper and hygiene products.
  • If you take a field toilet, try using a plastic bag lined with kitty litter.

Gear to go

Bare necessities

  • The Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel (formerly called iPood) is lightweight, foldable and has space for a lighter or toilet paper in the hollow handle from Cape Union Mart for R299. Or just grab a little garden spade.
  • Unbleached toilet paper
  • Hand sanitisers
  • Cigarette lighter or matches

Road tripper’s throne

Combine the Easy-go portable toilet, which works with bio-sanitary disposable bags, with a pop-up shower/toilet tent for a quick solution to dodgy roadside facilities. Easygo portable toilet R399,95, bio-sanitary disposable bags R160 for eight, www.outdoorwarehouse.co.za.

Stand up for your rights

Ladies can avoid contact with manky public loos or even sneak off the trail like a man with the Go Girl reusable female urination device (FUD), which allows women to urinate standing up. Go Girl FUD, R119,95 from Outdoor Warehouse, www.outdoorwarehouse.co.za.






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