Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[Anniesantiago]

I've posted this pet peeve elsewhere, but thought I'd give it its own thread.

Ladies (yes, especially ladies)... please do NOT leave soiled toilet paper lying along the WAY.

You have two options I can think of:

1. Carry a ziplock bag and put your soiled paper into the bag and dispose of it in the TRASH at any town or the next alburgue.

2. Carry a hankerchief to use when you pee and simply wash it each evening when you wash your other clothes.

It's horrible to see toilet paper strewn along the path, and last year by August, you could simply follow the "white=bricked road" to Santiago... not a nice thing to do when visiting in someone else's country. Think of how upset you'd be if it was YOUR front yards!

Here is a sad picture of a sweet little shelter we found along the path. It would have been a great place to get out of the rain, except for....



And here, this was right along the trail...



And please, if you MUST take a dump, do it in the morning before you leave in the TOILET! Or at least bury the thing:



Rebecca has a funny story about taking dumps along the Way.

As far as toilet paper, I do not agree with the "bury it" theory because animals will dig it up, and it takes a LONG time for toilet paper to disintegrate. Just be responsible and either use cloth or carry OUTyour TP.

If you're going to carry paper, instead of a roll you can purchase large packages of SMALLER packages of what we call "kleenex" at many larger grocery stores or supermarkets. A couple of pilgrims could split up those 12-packs and it would last a week or more. Most of the public restrooms (in restaurants, etc.) that I ran across did have TP, but not all, so don't expect it. Be prepared when you go in.

And if you DO need to use a bar for a BM, support the local economy and buy something... a coffee... a beer... a sandwich... a candy bar... fruit...

Lastly, flush the danged toilets! You will find interesting and various types of "flushing" mechanisms along the WAY. If you don't see a handle, look for a push button on top, or a string or wire above your head that you pull...

That's all I can think of... I'm sorry to post these ugly TP trail photos. But I'd rather see it on this forum than along the Camino. Hopefully it will inspire people NOT to leave their TP along the path..

Please pass this info along in a gentle manner to other pilgrims you meet along the way.

[Tia Valeria]

Quite agree Annie.
One thing I have found here this year which may be a new idea. A very tight roll of Andrex toilet paper simply rolled on itself. 100 sheets and smaller in diameter than the usual inner cardboard roll. Tucks in a pocket for those times that the 'servicios/aseos' do not have paper, and comes in a plastic cover so will stay dry OK. Less bulky than even small packs of Kleenex, and you can use it as paper hanky too!
Buen 'paper free' Camino
Valerie

[annakappa]

Thanks for bringing up the subject Annie. Sometimes, especially in what could be a shelter against the rain, or behind buildings in the middle of no-where, it is simply disgusting. I remember getting caught in a super thunderstorm along the Fromista canal two years ago. We could see a small building in the distance, but there was no way that we could use it as a shelter. Uggh! As far as Kleenex are concerned, you can usually buy single packets in the smaller shops, but never in the supermarkets, where you will only find the 12 packs. Anne

[mrbillyto]

Thank you AnnieSantiago!
Thanks for your graphic photographs! Before I did my Camino last year, I had read posts on here about how bad this situation was but until I actually saw it first hand, I no real idea just how bad it could be. I'm a guy so I was not as apt to (and didn't if the situation arose) leave the same refuge behind but I still had to look at/smell it too.
Aside from all of the stuff in Annie's pictures that is and shouldn't be left behind, I was astounded...absolutely astounded at the number of plastic bottles and pop cans and food wrappers that people left behind...just tossed beside the path. It was beyond me why people couldn't carry their leftovers to the next town, often just a few kms away or even in sight and they still tossed it beside the path. Every town I walked through had some sort of outdoor garbage container and some even large recycling bins that were right along the path. How much does an empty plastic bottle really weigh? I don't litter at home so why would I litter in someone else's home country.
Anyhow, this being a busier year, I am hoping some people read this and will at least do their part.
Sorry for the rant as I know there are other posts about this on here but I am glad Annie brought it back up as a topic for all of those lucky pilgrims walking this year so they can plan accordingly.
Bill

[johnnyesparto]

thanks so much for those photos, my first camino on Francis, i just could not believe it, so i think your approach and photos are very beneficial toward help all to solve this problem. i know all of us who enjoy the vibe and beauty of the various Camino's routes, appreciate both sisters and brothers being good stewards of the earth....may the Forest be With You....

[newfydog]

Why all the toilet paper when they have a perfectly good left hand?

[nellpilgrim]

My goodness I wondered who would have the stomach to tackle this issue and so graphically at that. Thank you Annie you are well....a pooper trouper
Having walked into some fresh 'pilgrim spoor' on the path (now this wasn't an 'in extremis' case of diarrhea ....it'd make you wonder wouldn't it?) I became a little paranoid about such 'landmines'.
After that I occasionally found myself wondering which of my fellow pilgrims was 'The Phantom Arse'? I'd two or three candidates lined up but the evidence was too circumstantial.
Nell

[grayland]

One of the advantages of a March Camino is that the ugly presentation has not yet had time to build up. We saw paper last year but not in any huge quanities as it was early. It did seem to be worse on the outskirts of towns in areas set aside for picnic, rest stop, etc. so may not have all been a Pilgrim problem.

[gittiharre]

It is such a difficult issue, because of the lack ot toilets along the way. Here in New Zealand the tracks like the Milford Track etc have eco toilets at strategic intervals. They are nice looking simple structures which run on solar principles and lead to odourless drying up of poos and pees. The track looks pretty pristine.
With the usual pilgrim pattern of leaving the refuges early before breakfast, the body usually is not ready to do it's bit before setting off, so lots of people get cought out. It is horrible and I agree with the unpleasant implications. It is gross. Girls check out http://www.freshette.com It is a female urinary device that helps you pee while standing up ( like a guy). It is great because you do not have to drop you pants. Regards, Gitti

[gittiharre]

I just thought of another really annoying thing. When I walked the Camino in 2006, there was a big group of pilgrims walking together who would regularly raid the toilet paper supply at the refuges before leaving in the early morning and none of the toilets would have a single piece of toilet paper left. It was really off to do that. Gitti Harre

[renegadepilgrim]

Here's another thought.....bring an extra garbage bag with you and pick up trash as you see it. All you need is a pair of nitrile gloves and a bag you can seal and then just drop it in a garbage can when it's full.

Anyone heard of the "Leave No Trace" philosophy of hiking/backpacking?
http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php

When I go hiking here in Oregon, if there is trash on the trail, I pick it up and put it in a bag that I dispose of when I see a garbage can. If others see you doing this, perhaps they will get the hint and stop being litterbugs.

So, if any of you see a pilgrim on the camino frances this April/May picking up garbage, it's probably me. I'll be the one with the Oregon patch on my hat or backpack. aka dirt-worshipping, tree-hugging hippie (tongue planted firmly in cheek here)......Sorry, this is a scattered post, but it just makes sense to me to pick up garbage when I see it.

[gittiharre]

Great what a lovely contribution, I have done this a few times too and it feels good and sets an example. Have a good walk! Regards, Gitti

[renegadepilgrim]

I have to admit, though, the AMOUNT of garbage is what amazes me. Those pictures are disturbing and educational, all at the same time. I don't know if me picking up a back of garbage would even make a dent in it. However, I do know that twenty or thirty people picking up a bag of garbage will make a huge dent in the garbage!

[jpflavin1]

It is sad that a posting like this needs to be put on this forum. That being said, we are becoming a society where we expect someone else to clean up after us. Thanks for the reminder (A picture is worth a thousand words). The suggestions/actions of picking up trash along the way also deserve a Thank you. The best teacher is always by example.

[grayland]

I have to admit, though, the AMOUNT of garbage is what amazes me. Those pictures are disturbing and educational, all at the same time. I don't know if me picking up a back of garbage would even make a dent in it. However, I do know that twenty or thirty people picking up a bag of garbage will make a huge dent in the garbage!

Many, many people have posted here that they do their part and pick up garbage when they walk the Camino. You certainly are not the only one doing this.
Last year the South African Confraternity had litter bags made and passed them out at all of the Albergues along the way and encouraged pilgrims to carry them and fill them up. A fantastic contribution to the Camino.
Sil can probably give us the numbers of the litter bags prepared and passed out.

[renegadepilgrim]

I didn't mean to imply that people here are not doing their part. I am new to the camino, as are many of us, so hopefully this kind of post will be a good reminder to all of us, new and old, to pick up along the way....

[ksam]

Thank you Annie you are well....a pooper trouper
.... fresh 'pilgrim spoor' on the path
Nell

Both of you, Thanks, Annie & Nell! You've completely made my morning. How sad that we need to have this post, and yet I am aboslutely grateful Annie that you've tackled it. We've encountered it here on hikes and on the Camino too. And as our year in Portugal was the rainiest ever, the non useable sheds and buildings really got to be a problem. We'd just keep slogging along.

ON this note, Ladies, there is a device for doing it standing. I haven't used one yet but have read and heard great things from other women, and will probably be looking into it this spring. End result, no dropped drawer exposure issues and next to no tissues ever! The company I'm looking at that has it is REI here in the US. I believe one of the other major camping suppliers, Campmor also has it in their arsenal of goods.

So take a look and give it a thought ladies, we all benefit in the end!

Now the other issue...folks please, try reading the book "How to Shit in the Woods!" Get a clue people!

Buen Camino,

Karin