Trash on the Caminho

[Urban Trekker]

Urban Trekker

• Urban Trekker
• Oct 19, 2014
• 1

Via Roma XIX Portugal

I live in Nevada on the back side of the Sierras. Lake Tahoe and the surrounding National Forest and BLM land abound in trails. There is a rule that all hikers and trekkers follow, "pack it in, pack it out" leave only faint foot prints. Its a rare occasion that you see trash along the trails and I have never seen graffiti.
I had the pleasure of walking the Caminho Portuguese in September. I and friend Craig walked from our room in Porto to Santiago. We saw all kinds of fascinating places and things and met wonderful people everywhere. Spain and Portugal never cease to amaze me and always leave me wanting more. When it's time to go, I want to stay.
There was one thing that bothered me as I walked the countryside and that was the litter. There was very little along the roadways but once you got off the pavement, you saw trash all over the place and I'm sure it was pilgrim trash. Water bottles, empty food containers/wrappers, and energy shot wrappers. The things that walking and biking pilgrims would carry and use.
Future pilgrims and repeat pilgrims, please remember "pack it in and pack it out, leave only faint foot prints." Now that you know about the trash, think about taking a small trash bag with you and pick up some of that trash. I did. If we all chip in the Caminos would soon be spotless.

Happy Trails

 

[michryan]

Urban Trekker

• Urban Trekker
• Oct 19, 2014
• 1

Via Roma XIX Portugal

I live in Nevada on the back side of the Sierras. Lake Tahoe and the surrounding National Forest and BLM land abound in trails. There is a rule that all hikers and trekkers follow, "pack it in, pack it out" leave only faint foot prints. Its a rare occasion that you see trash along the trails and I have never seen graffiti.
I had the pleasure of walking the Caminho Portuguese in September. I and friend Craig walked from our room in Porto to Santiago. We saw all kinds of fascinating places and things and met wonderful people everywhere. Spain and Portugal never cease to amaze me and always leave me wanting more. When it's time to go, I want to stay.
There was one thing that bothered me as I walked the countryside and that was the litter. There was very little along the roadways but once you got off the pavement, you saw trash all over the place and I'm sure it was pilgrim trash. Water bottles, empty food containers/wrappers, and energy shot wrappers. The things that walking and biking pilgrims would carry and use.
Future pilgrims and repeat pilgrims, please remember "pack it in and pack it out, leave only faint foot prints." Now that you know about the trash, think about taking a small trash bag with you and pick up some of that trash. I did. If we all chip in the Caminos would soon be spotless.

Happy Trails

Yes I have to agree. I just finished walking from Lisbon yesterday and I would have to say of all the trails I have walked throughout the world this one was the worst when it came to trash. A lot I feel was from pilgrims where they just discarded their water bottles etc. But also a lot of home waste from the locals. You might not of seen as much on the side of the roads ( I did) but go of to the tracks and they locals dump their trash. Out of sight out of mind maybe. Don't know what their rubbish collection etc is like here. It made me sad to be walking in such a beautiful country and see so much trash.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

How much of the litter did you pick up?

 

[MichaelSG]

I'm not so sure it's pilgrim trash. I saw more of it between Lisbon & Porto than I did from Porto north, if you can believe that, and there is a tiny percentage of pilgrims who walked that portion. Almost the entire length of the Portuguese Caminho is also used by other day hikers and longer trekkers as evidenced by the red & white blaze marks. I have to believe that it's mostly (not entirely) non-pilgrim. And, yes, I did pick up some and I also -hopefully - shamed some people in bigger cities by picking up their discarded trash and putting it in nearby bins while they watched. I can't, of course, be certain but my guess was that all those people were Portuguese. Maybe I assumed too much but some were groups of kids, others were kids in families and others adults. I was shocked.

 

[MichaelB10398]

We have talked about this topic with relative frequency on this Forum; it is a consistent problem that many recognize. Repetition breeds familiarity and helps to instill reminders and good habits.

It does not matter who threw the trash - what is important is that it gets picked up. Some of our pilgrims bring bags for collecting trash along the way. It does not matter how much or how little the point is that they make an effort to clean up the Camino that we all love.

Others learn never to throw trash down and still others correct the behavior when others do it. Some of us are better at correcting others and some of us are not nearly as good.

Now that you know there is trash; make an effort to fill a bag - a small sandwich bag or a large garbage bag is your choice. This is our problem because we walk the Camino and the Way needs our hands.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There was very little along the roadways but once you got off the pavement, you saw trash all over the place and I'm sure it was pilgrim trash. Water bottles, empty food containers/wrappers, and energy shot wrappers. The things that walking and biking pilgrims would carry and use.

While I agree, comments in an English-speaking Forum do not do much. Virtually no one who reads this is guilty of littering. The only effective thing we can do is pick up after others. I do not think I can solve the problem, but I do commit to picking up ONE piece of trash each day. That is an achievable goal, so not an overwhelming commitment to an overwhelming problem. I do more, but I feel my obligation is a single piece of trash.

And, of course, I morally support Rebekah Scott's regular cleanup drives, which support is much more useless than picking up one piece.

 

[MichaelSG]

Your support is much more useless or Rebekah's clean up drives are? I am 99.9999% sure which one you are referring to but I am just highlighting the alternate interpretation.

 

[Tincatinker]

Pilgrim trash, schmilgrim trash. Small Dog and me collected our usual super-market carrier bag of trash while on our daily walk today. Its probably co-incidence that we are on a long-distance footpath / bike trail and on the edge of a national park. People do seem to manage to bring stuff from quite a long way away just so they can leave it on our paths and fields or hanging in the hedges.

I stopped being out-raged years ago: anger may well be an energy but its a tiring one. So, trash, I just pick it up and take it to a bin.

 

[Urban Trekker]

How much of the litter did you pick up?

I had a empty bag that my bocadillo came in. Filled it up and disposed it a first opertunity. Not much but it was a start.

 

[Urban Trekker]

Pilgrim trash, schmilgrim trash. Small Dog and me collected our usual super-market carrier bag of trash while on our daily walk today. Its probably co-incidence that we are on a long-distance footpath / bike trail and on the edge of a national park. People do seem to manage to bring stuff from quite a long way away just so they can leave it on our paths and fields or hanging in the hedges.

I stopped being out-raged years ago: anger may well be an energy but its a tiring one. So, trash, I just pick it up and take it to a bin.

I wasn't angry just disapointed. I do what you do. I try to leave the trail a little cleaner that it was.

 

[Urban Trekker]

How much of the litter did you pick up?

I'm not so sure it's pilgrim trash. I saw more of it between Lisbon & Porto than I did from Porto north, if you can believe that, and there is a tiny percentage of pilgrims who walked that portion. Almost the entire length of the Portuguese Caminho is also used by other day hikers and longer trekkers as evidenced by the red & white blaze marks. I have to believe that it's mostly (not entirely) non-pilgrim. And, yes, I did pick up some and I also -hopefully - shamed some people in bigger cities by picking up their discarded trash and putting it in nearby bins while they watched. I can't, of course, be certain but my guess was that all those people were Portuguese. Maybe I assumed too much but some were groups of kids, others were kids in families and others adults. I was shocked.[/Q. Yes it was in portugal but I don't think it was day trippers. The areas were to isolated.

 

[Urban Trekker]

We have talked about this topic with relative frequency on this Forum; it is a consistent problem that many recognize. Repetition breeds familiarity and helps to instill reminders and good habits.

It does not matter who threw the trash - what is important is that it gets picked up. Some of our pilgrims bring bags for collecting trash along the way. It does not matter how much or how little the point is that they make an effort to clean up the Camino that we all love.

Others learn never to throw trash down and still others correct the behavior when others do it. Some of us are better at correcting others and some of us are not nearly as good.

Now that you know there is trash; make an effort to fill a bag - a small sandwich bag or a large garbage bag is your choice. This is our problem because we walk the Camino and the Way needs our hands.

Well said

 

[Kerstinh47]

The experience I had this summer walking the Frances has changed me in big ways and small. I still walk at home almost daily, and now, once a week I bring a few small empty plastic grocery bags along to pick up what needs to be picked up - filled three today and every piece of trash that I picked up & put in my bag(s) reminded me of the internal abundance that came home from Spain with me.

 

[GreatDane]

I didn't see that much casual trash (cig butts, candy wrappers, water bottles), maybe someone ahead of me was picking that type of stuff up. What I did notice was on occasion entire stratum of garbage layered with dirt off the side of the paths out side of larger towns. Like the camino path had been moved to the site of an old city dump. And yes I did pick up items as I walked.

p.s. Except for that pink feathered boa just past a farm gate one morning. That was too creepy.

 

[Riseson]

This was something that I have been thinking about a lot as I saw quite a bit of trash from Sarria to Santiago this time. While I did pick up some every day, it was not nearly enough and I wished I had more time to spend to actually make a more worthwhile effort in cleaning up along the way. I was wondering if there was any sort of clean up initiative (like adopt a highway) where once can adopt a section and actually fund a clean up of a section. I would certainly be willing to do that since I am quite far away. But when I do the walk again, I will take a bag a day and fill it.

 

[nathanael]

Urban Trekker

• Urban Trekker
• Oct 19, 2014
• 1

Via Roma XIX Portugal

I live in Nevada on the back side of the Sierras. Lake Tahoe and the surrounding National Forest and BLM land abound in trails. There is a rule that all hikers and trekkers follow, "pack it in, pack it out" leave only faint foot prints. Its a rare occasion that you see trash along the trails and I have never seen graffiti.
I had the pleasure of walking the Caminho Portuguese in September. I and friend Craig walked from our room in Porto to Santiago. We saw all kinds of fascinating places and things and met wonderful people everywhere. Spain and Portugal never cease to amaze me and always leave me wanting more. When it's time to go, I want to stay.
There was one thing that bothered me as I walked the countryside and that was the litter. There was very little along the roadways but once you got off the pavement, you saw trash all over the place and I'm sure it was pilgrim trash. Water bottles, empty food containers/wrappers, and energy shot wrappers. The things that walking and biking pilgrims would carry and use.
Future pilgrims and repeat pilgrims, please remember "pack it in and pack it out, leave only faint foot prints." Now that you know about the trash, think about taking a small trash bag with you and pick up some of that trash. I did. If we all chip in the Caminos would soon be spotless.

Happy Trails

 

[nathanael]

Greetings fellow pilgrims, I agree on litter on the Camino is somewhat a bit much. But I have to say when I felt I had made a wrong turn and saw the liter I was assured I was on right path.

 

[Tincatinker]

This was something that I have been thinking about a lot as I saw quite a bit of trash from Sarria to Santiago this time. While I did pick up some every day, it was not nearly enough and I wished I had more time to spend to actually make a more worthwhile effort in cleaning up along the way. I was wondering if there was any sort of clean up initiative (like adopt a highway) where once can adopt a section and actually fund a clean up of a section. I would certainly be willing to do that since I am quite far away. But when I do the walk again, I will take a bag a day and fill it.

@Riseson, the Palencia Camino Clean-up Crew will be out again this December and would be glad to receive any support you can offer. See this thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/palencia-camino-cleanup-2014.29592/

 

[Dreamwalker33]

Urban Trekker

• Urban Trekker
• Oct 19, 2014
• 1

Via Roma XIX Portugal

I live in Nevada on the back side of the Sierras. Lake Tahoe and the surrounding National Forest and BLM land abound in trails. There is a rule that all hikers and trekkers follow, "pack it in, pack it out" leave only faint foot prints. Its a rare occasion that you see trash along the trails and I have never seen graffiti.
I had the pleasure of walking the Caminho Portuguese in September. I and friend Craig walked from our room in Porto to Santiago. We saw all kinds of fascinating places and things and met wonderful people everywhere. Spain and Portugal never cease to amaze me and always leave me wanting more. When it's time to go, I want to stay.
There was one thing that bothered me as I walked the countryside and that was the litter. There was very little along the roadways but once you got off the pavement, you saw trash all over the place and I'm sure it was pilgrim trash. Water bottles, empty food containers/wrappers, and energy shot wrappers. The things that walking and biking pilgrims would carry and use.
Future pilgrims and repeat pilgrims, please remember "pack it in and pack it out, leave only faint foot prints." Now that you know about the trash, think about taking a small trash bag with you and pick up some of that trash. I did. If we all chip in the Caminos would soon be spotless.

Happy Trails

We walked through small villiages on Camino Francis (10-14) and couldn't believe how much garbage was left on benches and tables at several nice bars by fellow perigrino's. I apologized to the owner when he came out to clean up after the crowd the crowd had left. He said they can't understand it either but they are used to it. I just thought Camino walkers had a better mind-set and should, in any case, know better. I imagine random tissue paper along the trail may have mistakenly fallen out of ones pocket, but some areas had 20 some tissues.. One would need rubber gloves to safely clean these sections of the path up, but possible to do.

 

[Riseson]

@Riseson, the Palencia Camino Clean-up Crew will be out again this December and would be glad to receive any support you can offer. See this thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/palencia-camino-cleanup-2014.29592/

Thank you so much! I will definitely go to the Donate button on Rebekah's blog.

 

[Wanderer64]

Unfortunately, increased trash and negative environmental impact is the price the Camino pays for rapidly increased popularity. As common sense an issue littering is for most of us here, most people who walk the Camino are not versed in rules of trail or backcountry etiquette. And as Camino popularity rises, so too will the trash problem. In many ways, the Camino is a microcosm of the globe and the broader environmental issues we face as a species.

One small thing I did during my walk was refuse to buy bottled water. One lightweight stainless steel bottle worked just fine and I still use it post-Camino.

After Mt Everest base camp became trendy and a popular tourist trek, the trash mounted to shameful heights, forcing the Nepal government to crackdown on the issue and force hikers to carry out a min amount of trash. This is evidence that governments can act on such issues, but I suspect Camino trash is not a hot municipal election issue in the villages along the Way.

As has been noted in this and many other threads, this forum represents a very small percentage of English speaking Camino goers, and issuing well meaning edicts won't be read by the vast majority of would-be pilgrims. Even if the edicts were read, they'd likely be ignored by that vast majority. Sad, but true. This should not deter individual pilgrims from doing what they can. Think globally, act locally. Imagine how horrible the trash problem would be if concerned individuals and community brigades didn't do the small things to try and make a difference.

 

[Anna Machial]

I am planning on walking the Camino Primitivo next May. Is trash a problem on that way as well? If so we will carry garbage bags and pick up, at least some of it.

 

[Icacos]

I'm all for peregrinos picking up trash along the Way. I'm all for peregrinos not leaving behind trash in the first place. I recall once being in a square in a pretty little town along the Frances, which square was clean save for one section where there was a scattering of wrappings left over from someone's lunch. The square was obviously frequented by local townsfolk so I had no way of knowing whether the trash had been left there by a peregrino, or a town resident. I picked up the trash and deposited it in an adjacent bin, in full view of some locals sitting in the square ...... but I felt extremely uncomfortable doing so. After all, who am I to impose my standards on the local townsfolk? And, perhaps more importantly, was I encroaching on someone's job? Just my thoughts. ........

 

[tyrrek]

One little tip for litter picking, which I've probably mentioned before. Carrier bags and refuse sacks can be bulky and awkward to carry (I only use them within 5kms of the next village so I know I won't be carrying them for miles and miles). An alternative is to pick up a discarded water bottle, cut the top off with a penknife, and stuff litter into it. Obviously it will fill up quickly if you put drinks cans etc into it, but if you limit yourself to cigarette packets and chocolate wrappers etc you'll be amazed how much trash you can squeeze in. It's easy to carry, doesn't flap about in the wind, and once full you can just stick it into your backpack's side pocket until you reach a bin.

 

[GreatDane]

On the non-trash side of things, I stayed in Burgos east of the cathedral for a few days while I museum hopped. My "neighborhood" rivaled Disneyland with the trash and cig butt clean up. As soon as siesta started shop owners swept up and hosed down in front of their establishments and then again after hours. And then in the early morning light the street sweepers would run. I watched one shop owner stage his red vacuum cleaner about 30 minutes before siesta time and as soon as the clock hit 2pm he plugged it in and sucked up all the cigarette butts!

 

[Magwood]

I live in southern Spain and am always incredulous at the amount of litter in the countryside. I feel quite confident that this is not left by foreign visitors or residents. It is the locals who do not expect their countryside. Their houses and village streets are immaculate but the countryside is full of discarded wrappers, bottles, cans and yoghurt pots. I really don't understand it, because they obviously love their land and tend it with great care.

As to litter on the camino, I would hazard a guess that very little of it is left by foreign pilgrims.

This photo is just one example of 'fly' tipping on the camino Portuguese. Quite an amusing image, but indicative of the disrespect that some people have for their local countryside.

 

[Icacos]

I live in southern Spain and am always incredulous at the amount of litter in the countryside. I feel quite confident that this is not left by foreign visitors or residents. It is the locals who do not expect their countryside. Their houses and village streets are immaculate but the countryside is full of discarded wrappers, bottles, cans and yoghurt pots. I really don't understand it, because they obviously love their land and tend it with great care.

As to litter on the camino, I would hazard a guess that very little of it is left by foreign pilgrims.

This photo is just one example of 'fly' tipping on the camino Portuguese. Quite an amusing image, but indicative of the disrespect that some people have for their local countryside.
View attachment 14623

I hear you, Magwood. They may be considered litterbugs by some standards, but they do have a sense of humour ..... perhaps again, by some standards !

 

[Mark Lee]

I never really carried anything with me while I walked either Camino that needed throwing away. I reused the same three water bottles the whole way on both Caminos, and at the most I might have had a chocolate bar or sandwich I snacked on while walking, but would eat them at water fountain breaks and if there was a trash bin there (and there usually was) I would place the refuse, if any, in it.
I'm wondering, who litters and who carries around crap on the Camino they can litter with?

 

[MichaelSG]

Mark, I'll be honest. I dumped those two chairs in Mag's photo. I was tired of trying to dig past them to find my rain jacket that always seemed to be packed below them in my backpack.

Actually, the thread was started about the Portuguese route and I firmly believe that the vast amount (99.9% or more) must be locally deposited trash. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't pitch in to help clean it up, or that we should think it okay to contribute to the litter ourselves, but there is no way on earth that the 1,200 people walking from Lisbon this year could have possibly left the piles of rubbish often seen along the trails well south of Porto. In many places it looked like trucks backed up the trail and tipped their loads. From what I saw, the further north we went - where more pilgrims are - the less trash there was.

 

[Urban Trekker]

I live in southern Spain and am always incredulous at the amount of litter in the countryside. I feel quite confident that this is not left by foreign visitors or residents. It is the locals who do not expect their countryside. Their houses and village streets are immaculate but the countryside is full of discarded wrappers, bottles, cans and yoghurt pots. I really don't understand it, because they obviously love their land and tend it with great care.

As to litter on the camino, I would hazard a guess that very little of it is left by foreign pilgrims.

This photo is just one example of 'fly' tipping on the camino Portuguese. Quite an amusing image, but indicative of the disrespect that some people have for their local countryside.
View attachment 14623

The chairs were still there in September. I tend to carry to much gear but not a chair

 

[Rebekah Scott]

it does not matter who dumped the stuff. It is there, you are there. Do what you can to respect the Way of St. James, even if others have no clue.

 

[MichaelSG]

it does not matter who dumped the stuff.

It matters a lot to me. That, however, has nothing to do with whether or not I help clean it up or do something to try to stop it from happening in the first place. I'm convinced that the vast majority of it was not left by pilgrims so telling pilgrims to stop littering will mean that we'll be picking up trash for a long, long time.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Urban Trekker

• Urban Trekker
• Oct 19, 2014
• 1

Via Roma XIX Portugal

I live in Nevada on the back side of the Sierras. Lake Tahoe and the surrounding National Forest and BLM land abound in trails. There is a rule that all hikers and trekkers follow, "pack it in, pack it out" leave only faint foot prints. Its a rare occasion that you see trash along the trails and I have never seen graffiti.
I had the pleasure of walking the Caminho Portuguese in September. I and friend Craig walked from our room in Porto to Santiago. We saw all kinds of fascinating places and things and met wonderful people everywhere. Spain and Portugal never cease to amaze me and always leave me wanting more. When it's time to go, I want to stay.
There was one thing that bothered me as I walked the countryside and that was the litter. There was very little along the roadways but once you got off the pavement, you saw trash all over the place and I'm sure it was pilgrim trash. Water bottles, empty food containers/wrappers, and energy shot wrappers. The things that walking and biking pilgrims would carry and use.
Future pilgrims and repeat pilgrims, please remember "pack it in and pack it out, leave only faint foot prints." Now that you know about the trash, think about taking a small trash bag with you and pick up some of that trash. I did. If we all chip in the Caminos would soon be spotless.

Happy Trails

Please don't blast me for saying the following. I live in California and, for awhile, I worked in El Centro, CA, just north of the Mexican border in the Imperial Valley. A "local" told me that it was the custom of some Mexican citizens to dump their trash outside the city limits. Sure enough, at the project where I worked I saw old mattresses, toilet bowls, etc., dumped beside the road. Maybe it is a cultural thing that you saw, as it is in Mexico.

I pledge to pick up some trash as I walk the Camino next year.

 

[Camembert]

Bom caminho !