Let's get rid of plastic on the Camino

[peterhore]

Plastic bottles are the commonest item of litter on the Camino - could we all make a resolution to carry a durable bottle and to refill this on the way? For those with delicate stomachs, Brita even make a heavy-duty but lightweight (139g) bottle with a filter in the cap and it's made in Spain.

This way we could start to make the Camino plastic free.

Peter

 

[nidarosa]

I second the filter bottle, I use it all the time at home as well as when I am walking. Link to more info here: Brita Fill and Go Active. You can filter water for others by filling it and squeezing water into someone else's bottle or cup. It even has a top/cover which is great for al fresco lunchtime wine ...

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I agree, but it's not just plastic bottles that are a problem. A lot of paper as well, aluminum cans and other litter.
Disappointing to see considering how easy it would be to dispose of it every time you walk into a village/town.

 

[Montana Jayne]

Pack it in, pack it out ... simple to do really. I hope people would also consider picking up their own poop and toilet paper ... that is also a problem. Hey everyone, if you can arrange to go on a camino you can figure out how to take care of it. Seriously!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I won't give up plastics or paper or metal or _________ fill in the blank. I do not use anything frivolously or wastefully, nor do I put an artificial limit on what I find usable and what is the best tool as I define it. I won't deny myself as a responsible user just because there are gomers who misuse things or who simple-mindedly refuse to take responsible care for their detritus.

What I do is keep my litter to myself until it can be properly disposed of, or placed into recycling. With all of the toilet paper along the Frances, it would be just as reasonable to call for a toilet paper boycott to keep the Camino 'paper free'.

 

[Albertagirl]

I am confident that most of those who post on this forum are responsible with their waste. For those of us who are back country walkers, "Pack in, pack out" is a reflex. Forum members are a small percentage of those who walk the caminos. The visibility of litter along the routes, like the visibility of graffiti, seems to encourage less aware or responsible people to add more. The worst plastic litter which I have seen was at rest areas in the southern section of the VdlP, piles of plastic water bottles almost as high as the picnic tables. This made no sense to me, since those empty bottles are very light to carry out. The O.P. has observed the plastic mess and is offering one possible way to avoid adding to it. I appreciate all suggestions for useful gear.
The litter problem on the caminos is so huge that it is challenging to see any way that we can respond other than managing our own waste. But individuals should not give up. Some suggestions: 1. pack out and recycle your waste; carry a small trowel to help bury fecal waste when you cannot make it to the next toilet, or carry it out if you can bear to do so; 2. pack out and recycle/dispose of other people's waste: do what you can on a personal level, not to get too tired or discouraged, or participate in a group pick up, such as that organized by @Rebekah Scott each year and carried out by the ditch pigs; 3. consider the use of new gear which could minimize waste, such as the durable water container mentioned above. @Kanga has some interesting suggestions as to how women could minimize the use of toilet paper; 4. support educational projects in any way you can; when practical, speak to the people who pass you while you are picking up waste; education is the only possible solution to this problem; 5. find creative ways to manage this; most of you probably have better ideas than I have; just don't shut your eyes, or give up, or discourage those who are trying to help.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Having looked up @nidarosa 's suggested bottle just one comment about it. This filters chlorine out of tap water, which is fine. It is not a filter for impure water. If you want to be sure of the water supply and that is the reason for buying bottled water then a more sophisticated system is needed.
I found this travel water bottle - which takes out impurities - and although expensive looks as though it about pays for itself over time.
Same idea as our Katadyn filter - which we have had for years but not for the Camino.

 

[mcmanamy5]

Plastic bottles are the commonest item of litter on the Camino - could we all make a resolution to carry a durable bottle and to refill this on the way? For those with delicate stomachs, Brita even make a heavy-duty but lightweight (139g) bottle with a filter in the cap and it's made in Spain.

This way we could start to make the Camino plastic free.

Peter

I have not bought a plastic water bottle in years. Re-usable bottles are the way to go. Plus did you hear about the little pieces of plastic in the purchased water? Yikes!

 

[domigee]

I once walked towards a minibus on the camino, the people in it had all got out and were drinking out of plastic cups..... It started off as I arrived and .....yes.....you guessed it! Every single cup had been thrown out on the side of the road!!! I didn't count them as I picked them up but there were many.

 

[Paul Doyle]

Plastic bottles are the commonest item of litter on the Camino - could we all make a resolution to carry a durable bottle and to refill this on the way? For those with delicate stomachs, Brita even make a heavy-duty but lightweight (139g) bottle with a filter in the cap and it's made in Spain.

This way we could start to make the Camino plastic free.

Peter

If we all decide to pick up one piece of plastic laying on the trail each day, it would makea difference.
Less plastic reaching the ocean, and we end up eating less plastic when we eat fish.
It's something I do every time I go for a walk.
If their was a world campaign encouraging people to pick up one a day along the lines of eating five veg.a day, think of the impact on litter.

 

[VNwalking]

If we all decide to pick up one piece of plastic laying on the trail each day, it would makea difference.

Yes, very true! But unfortunately few people do.
Last year I 'swept' the way between Cizur Menor and Los Arcos, picking up whatever loose trash was easily removed from the immediate edge of the trail. I thought it might prompt others to do the same, but no-one seemed to be interested in anything except for 'their camino.' I was surprised. (One person helpfully pointed out something I'd missed, but didn't bother to pick it up himself. That was funny, in a pathetic sort of way. )

 

[Shaun-Castaneda-Rio]

I put this outside the house last Year, It generated a lot of interest, a lot of photos were taken and hopefully made those dropping thier rubbish a bit more aware what gets left at the edge of the road in the fields and private gardens.

 

[VNwalking]

That's brilliant Shaun!

 

[peterhore]

'Pack in, pack out' is a handy slogan, though it doesn't work if all you do is dump your rubbish in the next village or albergue. As a hospitalero last year, I found that most of the rubbish left behind (apart from the plasters with body parts attached!) was plastic bags, plastic food containers and plastic water and toiletry bottles. Also swept the square outside the albergue daily and emptied the bins there and they too were filled with plastic of all sorts. Eventually these reach the oceans and the food-chain.

We, pilgrims on the Camino,, whatever out personal motivation are responsible for all that rubbish and we ought to be more concerned for a cleaner, less polluted world.

Thank you Nidarosa and Tia Valeria for your suggestions Brita Fill and Go Active and travel water bottle for alternative, lasting solutions to the water bottle problem.

 

[kelleymac]

I once walked towards a minibus on the camino, the people in it had all got out and were drinking out of plastic cups..... It started off as I arrived and .....yes.....you guessed it! Every single cup had been thrown out on the side of the road!!! I didn't count them as I picked them up but there were many.

Thank-you for picking them up!

 

[kelleymac]

There are three types of people in the world: 1. Those who leave trash. 2. Those who don't leave trash. 3. Those who don't leave their own trash and who pick up others trash.

Leave the place cleaner than when you arrived. -- Admittedly this gets hard. There are mounds of trash on the camino, and who wants to pick up used toilet paper? -- My son and I, however, picked up trash for 15-25 minutes per day and carried it to the nearest village to throw out. If everyone reading this could do 10 minutes per day-- and not leave trash-- it would be a more beautiful camino.

Trash lessens beauty.

 

[JeanneArashi]

Not only plastic bottles but hey if you know you need coffee quite often please get a reusable cup with you! I saw thousands of coffee cups thrown away everyday in just one cafe. Many people don’t mind adding extra money for a take away cup even they have it there just becoz they think they may not finish it.
Lots of different foldable cups in the market to choose. My folded cup is like that in the photo. Perfect for coffee.

I will also bring a bread wrap with me coz I probably need to eat them everyday. Maybe a smaller snack n go bag to store fruits or used utensils. They are easy to wash. There’s one brand from Spain so I think you can get one easily. They are really nice to use.

By the way, a bamboo teethbrush is very light. You can mark your name on it too. Try it and say goodbye to plastic teehbrush forever.

 

[Sunbun]

Plastic bottles are the commonest item of litter on the Camino - could we all make a resolution to carry a durable bottle and to refill this on the way? For those with delicate stomachs, Brita even make a heavy-duty but lightweight (139g) bottle with a filter in the cap and it's made in Spain.

This way we could start to make the Camino plastic free.

Peter

I couldn’t agree more! I did the whole CF without buying a single water bottle.

 

[kelleymac]

I once walked towards a minibus on the camino, the people in it had all got out and were drinking out of plastic cups..... It started off as I arrived and .....yes.....you guessed it! Every single cup had been thrown out on the side of the road!!! I didn't count them as I picked them up but there were many.

Thank-you!

 

[Lynda t]

Pack it in, pack it out ... simple to do really. I hope people would also consider picking up their own poop and toilet paper ... that is also a problem. Hey everyone, if you can arrange to go on a camino you can figure out how to take care of it. Seriously!

In UK we clean up after our dogs so get poop a scooping!!!

 

[nidarosa]

Having looked up @nidarosa 's suggested bottle just one comment about it. This filters chlorine out of tap water, which is fine. It is not a filter for impure water.

Tia, I always fill my bottle from the tap or from a decent water source and if needed fill a 1L water bag too to top the bottle up. I find it makes the water taste a lot better, both in Spain and in the UK - being Norwegian and growing up with wonderfully clean and tasty water I am a bit spoilt. I don't always like the bottled stuff either. On walks like the CF this bottle really makes a difference but I agree it's not for hard core wilderness hiking.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Tia, I always fill my bottle from the tap or from a decent water source and if needed fill a 1L water bag too to top the bottle up. I find it makes the water taste a lot better, both in Spain and in the UK - being Norwegian and growing up with wonderfully clean and tasty water I am a bit spoilt. I don't always like the bottled stuff either. On walks like the CF this bottle really makes a difference but I agree it's not for hard core wilderness hiking.

Yes, your type of filter does make the water taste better and no 'scum' when you make tea.
i was concerned that some folk might think it filtered out bugs, which it doesn't. Also we were told that it lets the water breed bugs if left too long.
Our own larger Berkefeld gravity filter, at home, takes out bugs, and has a silver/charcoal core which leaves the water pure and taste free. Both large and small ones (various makes) will even clean water from a puddle, but I agree that that is overkill for the Camino. Good for dubious tap water though or for those with sensitive stomachs and we use rainwater at home.

 

[JillGat]

Everybody has their priority peeves, but my dream would be to get rid of all the toilet paper on the Camino. And the graffiti ("Wild Sheep" anyone?)

 

[Shaun-Castaneda-Rio]

Jill
At the beginning and at the end of the season this gets a good clean.
I have bought anti graffiti film this year lets see if it helps,
What upset me last year was the removal of the Camino tiles and km markers.
They had only just been fitted at the start of 2017.
In Santiago you can get a tile for a few euros why take one and carry it for km's I dont understand.

 

[Samantha Davies]

Plastic bottles are the commonest item of litter on the Camino - could we all make a resolution to carry a durable bottle and to refill this on the way? For those with delicate stomachs, Brita even make a heavy-duty but lightweight (139g) bottle with a filter in the cap and it's made in Spain.

This way we could start to make the Camino plastic free.

Peter

This is a great idea!

 

[LGLG]

A surprising amount of people do not know that those disposable coffee cups are not recyclable! Can someone tell me whether coffee or tea served in bars on the Camino is served in washable cups - or do we need to bring our own cup?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

A surprising amount of people do not know that those disposable coffee cups are not recyclable! Can someone tell me whether coffee or tea served in bars on the Camino is served in washable cups - or do we need to bring our own cup?

They provide the cup, usually porcelain.

 

[SabsP]

A surprising amount of people do not know that those disposable coffee cups are not recyclable! Can someone tell me whether coffee or tea served in bars on the Camino is served in washable cups - or do we need to bring our own cup?

Indeed real porcelain. Spaniards take their coffee very seriously. Rightly so!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Just a reiteration about what has been previously posted about Brita filters and biological filtration. These filters do not provide filtration against the bacteria, viruses, or parasites which cause GI upset and diarrhea. Brita filters only reduce the amount of free chlorine, and a few trace metals --- of which some are needed for health.

Spain's water supply systems are modern and the equivalent of any other European country. So, refilling from potable sources -- and avoiding those marked as non potable -- will avoid illness in those with normal immune systems.

If the concern is about taste modification filtration, then Brita and several other similar filters are OK. But if one is also concerned about biological filtration, then look elsewhere.

For those interested, below are a few examples of a number of lightweight biological filtering options that are effective and refillable.

• Katadyn BeFree
• LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle
• Berkey Sport Bottle
• Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System

 

[LGLG]

Also, I don’t know whether things have changed since... but on my last Camino in Spain, I was stunned by the practice in greengrocer/small supermarket jobs, where we were forced to use disposable gloves in order to buy one or two pieces of fruit, as it was absolutely forbidden to pick it up with bare hands... is this still the case? I’d be happy to bring some mesh laundry type bags which I use in Oz for produce shopping, but am concerned that I may not be able to use those even to actually pick up the fruit?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

it was absolutely forbidden to pick it up with bare hands... is this still the case?

Yes. It is as much by custom as regulation. It has always been the case that the market personnel only could handle the produce. With the increase of those who want to help themselves, gloves appeared.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

lightweight biological filtering options

Steripen works on clear water; it is not a filter. It kills bacteria etc. with UV light. The latest model, a bit expensive, is an improvement over the original models.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Steripen works on clear water; it is not a filter. It kills bacteria etc. with UV light. The latest model, a bit expensive, is an improvement over the original models.

They do work well --- when they work. They still have a high enough failure rate that it is advisable that if backpacking in the wild, you have another effective method of disinfecting the water.