happymarkos
HappyMark
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2023. Finish the VDLP. Zamora to Santiago.
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I fully agree; the issue is how to get the message out to people that don't do what you do??I've always carried my rubbish with me to the next town, even bypassing worse than useless tiny bins stuffed full and overflowing.
It ain't rocket science...
Good question, Mark, and one that's been asked over and over.I fully agree; the issue is how to get the message out to people that don't do what you do??
@VNwalkingGood question, Mark, and one that's been asked over and over.
There will always be idiots, and they won't listen to what we say in this echo chamber.
So....What to do? A few ideas:
Yes...be irritated by this...and then do something. We can complain endlessly, but if everyone here were to pick up at least one bag of trash a day while walking...we would make a difference.
- Set an example.
- If you see someone has dropped trash along the way - return it to them. (Asking politely if they have dropped it, as though you were returning something of value.
) - Pick up trash yourself.
- Join the Ditch Pigs - or contribute to what they do every year.
Hmm...good question @Albertagirl.But I wonder why it is that there is little on some routes. There was almost none on the Via de la Plata/Sanabres.
Excellent suggestions to have something in the credentials.Some of us have been raised that we do not leave trash , some do not. The society is made in such a way that those who do not have this as an internal value - prescribe the rules. Maybe a little move would be achieved if the attachment to each credential is a friendly list (do not leave trash, do not write graffiti, do not steal fruit, ... be respectful of locals and others on the way ....perhaps in a witty style or as a comic drawings ). It really sounds ridiculous, but incomprehensibly large amounts of garbage prove that it is not for all self-evident. Even a "worse" reception would be a sign that the pilgrim agrees with these rules. I know it sounds awful, but that's it: for those who do not have internal rules - tell them what they are. Of course, this does not mean that everyone will follow them immediately.
Excellent suggestions to have something in the credentials.
I will contact Monique in St Jean where I have volunteered and ask her to raise it with The Association.
Some of us have been raised that we do not leave trash , some do not..
I'm no Saint - not even close, but twice my wife & I have carried bags and collected litter over a 5km section. That's all it took to fill them. This world has extremes, and sometimes it's best to at least try to level the field.
Don't expect sainthood or even a badge for doing what needs to be done!it was simply a regular chore to do each morning
Hm I think more bins for litter would be good. But don’t only blame the pilgrims, it could also be locals. Just look at the rest of the world and see how people throw waste all overWhile walking out of Leon recently we saw a group of about a dozen volunteers from the local Camino Association collecting trash, mainly litter than was not biodegradable. They focused on the section from San Miguel to Villladangos Del Paramo and had collected over a dozen large garbage bags by mid morning.
They did comment as we passed at how uncaring some pilgrims seem to be.
We had no way of telling if this was just discarded in 2018 or had accumulated over a number of years.
Although there are few bins for litter except in the last 80-90 km it would help if there were more bins provided and signs asking people to take their trash with them.
You would think it is unnecessary to ask people to take their trash with them.
Perhaps it requires more publicity.
Any suggestions?
Buen Camino
Happymark
But perhaps a few enviro-conscious pilgrims could set the example for others, including non-pilgrims, to follow.Hm I think more bins for litter would be good. But don’t only blame the pilgrims, it could also be locals. Just look at the rest of the world and see how people throw waste all over
There are thousands of places to get stamps. While they support a clean Camino, I doubt that they would want the responsibility of demanding a piece of trash before giving stamp!Maybe in order to receive a stamp from somewhere you have to turn in some trash. Either your own or some you picked up.
Especially in that section it may not be pilgrims. I know I would never litter anywhere in the world, I was horrified in Cuba when a public bus I was on, pulled over stopped, opened the door and threw a plastic bottle and a pizza box out the door and then carried on as if it was normal. Maybe to him and others it is.Hm I think more bins for litter would be good. But don’t only blame the pilgrims, it could also be locals. Just look at the rest of the world and see how people throw waste all over
Some of us live in a sanitized cultural bubble where littering is considered wrong. The rest of the world (and vastly more people) does not.Maybe to him and others it is
I think we can put blame directly on cyclists for the discarded large water bottles! I have never seen a walker with bottles of that size. Maybe they "bounce" off the bicycles!lost water bottles, tissues and food wrappers from side pockets
I don't think I would be likely to see anyone dropping their toilet tissue.
One or two good rains and the toilet tissue is disintegrated, unfortunately we are humans and have to go. It’s also one of the best ways of knowing you are not lost.
I invite you to try this in a private corner of your back yard and see just how long it takes.One or two good rains and the toilet tissue is disintegrated, unfortunately we are humans and have to go.
Good idea. I think to be successful it will require the assistance of the main places that provide the credentials such as at St Jean PDP, Roncevalles, Burgos etc and through Ivar's site, the American and Irish and English Camino Associations.I did some ice climbing on glaciers when I was younger and we were not allowed to leave ANYTHING on the ice, including fecal matter. We learned to poop in bags if we needed to go. Luckily, I never needed to do that on the Camino but I was prepared to if need be.
Trash along the Camino was a big concern of mine before I walked for the first time. It was actually one of the reasons I decided on a spring walk as opposed to autumn, having read that the trash can be worse later in the season. While trash wasn't near as bad as I feared, I still made sure to keep a shopping bag available to fill as I walked and do what I could to offset the impact of less thoughtful pilgrims.
I wonder if good citizen behaviour could be encouraged by passing out little trash pick-up kits? Like, if beforehand I put a non-latex glove and a biodegradeable trash bag in a little ziplock to hand to others who seemed interested in the idea? Or just carry a roll of the bags? Just a thought.
i am a newbie on getting ready for the cf later this year and do wonder if it has become so overcrowded and trashy/**itty that the experience is ruined. i am so drawn to wanting to do it for many reasons i won’t go into here, but i wonder about these trash and overcrowding issues and their impact on the whole. i am a 60 yo woman planning to walk alone. any comments about this from recent pilgrims? we you able to achieve what you wanted or did anyone regret going because of these issues? i guess the question is : how bad are these things really? are you walking with a buff over your nose from the smell or what?I know it is a lot to expect, but I cannot help wondering if "sponsoring" a segment of the Camino to police trash, might be something worth exploring. Here in the US, it is common for local businesses to sponsor keeping a small segment of a highway free of litter. Employees of these businesses will turn out periodically (like a few times a year) to pick up trash.
I do not know if this fits culturally, but one does wonder if service organizations, businesses, schools, or Camino associations located in larger towns and cities might not take this up as a way to give back to the Camino. It IS their lifeblood, especially along the Camino Frances.
If the Camino becomes too "trashy" it might dissuade pilgrims in future. This, in turn, affects these businesses and their continued viability.
As we approach 'peak pilgrim' and the coming Holy Year in 2021, this problem is going to exacerbate. now is a good time to try to get some initiative up and running.
But, and alas, I am stuck living in Florida... Were I there, I would certainly be better situated to organize something, or to at least raise the issue with groups benefiting from the Camino.
Sigh...
Please don't worry.how bad are these things really? are you walking with a buff over your nose from the smell or what?
I agree, it is an education issue. My own country commenced sustained anti-littering campaigns in the media nearly 50 years ago, and it was certainly needed, as it was commonplace for people to simply discard rubbish almost anywhere they happened to be. It took only a few years for littering to become a rare phenomenon, as it is now almost universally considered to be anti-social and unacceptable. I believe such an initiative is largely absent on the CF.It took some time for me to be horrified over the waste at Camino. I am a retired teacher, so it became clear to me over time that this is a matter of education.
It is likely that every one of us ever did something in his life, which he was later ashamed of - for lack of information.
There are bio-degradable bags made from plant starch. They are extremely lightweight and occupy very little space - everyone can have their own garbage bag. If they were prepared to attach them to the Credential in the SJPDP, I would buy 1000pcs, donate and send them to the SJPDP.
So, @happymarkos if you contact the office in the SJPDP, please ask if this would be feasible / appropriate
No, the conditions are absolutely not that bad!!! Don't let the "tsk, tsk-ing" prejudice you against a great experience!i am a newbie on getting ready for the cf later this year and do wonder if it has become so overcrowded and trashy/**itty that the experience is ruined... i guess the question is : how bad are these things really? are you walking with a buff over your nose from the smell or what?
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