Guide to Proper Human Waste Etiquette in the Back Country
Did you know that more than 10 million people will put on their backpacks and get into far-off trails in some of the most pristine and remote wilderness in the United States this year? Consider for a moment how much human waste is associated with this number, and it doesn’t take long to see why proper waste disposal is very important. Not only for the environment, but for our own safety as well.
Now, consider the impact that human waste can have if a SHTF scenario causes people to flee into the woods and tough things out for a prolonged period of time.
Water and Pests
The two main concerns regarding human waste is that it attracts pests and contaminates water. This is true for both urine and number two. It’s well known that bacteria and viruses a big problem, and drinking contaminated water can lead to serious illness and even death. However, if you consider that everything you ingest comes out the other end in one form or another, it’s easy to see how many different substances can get into rivers, streams and lakes. Many of these substances can be equally harmful to you, someone else or the greater food chain.
Pests are another obvious by-product of leaving poop exposed to the environment. It doesn’t take long for flies to swarm over the material and ultimately lay eggs that produce more flies. Hosts of other insects also come seemingly out of nowhere in order to devour human and animal feces. The biggest concern here is that insects and other creepy-crawlies can transmit disease to other mammals, including humans in the forest.
Best Practices
In all reality, proper waste control etiquette is not that complicated or difficult to put into practice. Much of it involves common sense and a little bit of planning. For urine, the reality is that pee does not have that much of an impact on the environment, as long as large amounts don’t accumulate into waterways. The best thing to do is find a spot that’s a couple hundred feet away from your campsite, trail and waterways and do your business. However, there are a number of species of wildflowers that can be negatively impacted by urine. It seems that certain animals are attracted to the scent of certain compounds in human urine, and they also forage on these flowers. Keeping your pee away from flowers will go a long way to prevent animals from coming along and devouring them.
You also want to avoid peeing into drainage areas, in or near bodies of water or anywhere upland from where you will get your water from. This will minimize any potential problems with respect to contamination and ensure that you are doing as little harm as possible to you, others, and the environment.
There are also basically two options to consider when it comes to number two. First, you can dig a hole and bury it, or you can pack it up and carry it out with you. Option A seems to be the most realistic in terms of back country hiking and wilderness survival. Simply dig a hole in areas that are described above, do your business and then cover it up with earth and debris when finished. This will minimize pest and vermin problems while also helping the material to degrade safely.
Option B is relatively straightforward. Do your business, scoop it up, place it in a plastic bag, seal it and carry it with you until you find a proper place to dispose of the waste. Of course, you can modify what you put the material into as long as it doesn’t remain on the ground once you’ve gone.
Following these simple guidelines will help to improve safety and sanitation in the outdoors. This something that all of us need to be mindful of since so many of us enjoy the wilderness. Our sheer numbers pose a very real and serious risk to public health, and these are also practices that will minimize risk of getting sick during a crisis as well. Learn these habits now so they will be second-nature when the time comes to put them into practice.
