Waste takes many forms. From foil wrappers to apple cores, tin cans to urine, backcountry waste is an issue with which each visitor must cope. At best, handling and disposing of refuse can be an organized, well thought out process. At worst, it can be unsanitary, unsightly, damaging, and dangerous. Properly disposing of waste on Colorado’s Fourteeners is especially challenging and takes knowledge, dedication, and perseverance; however, positive or negative choices you make will have lasting positive or negative effects on the beauty of the areas you visit.

  • Pack It In, Pack It Out – Garbage and Trash Alike
  • Wash dishes responsibly
  • Dispose of Human Waste Properly
  • Below timberline, bury solid human waste in a cathole
  • Pack out solid human waste above timberline
  • Avoid urinating on vegetation
  • Pack Out All Toilet Paper and Feminine Hygiene Products

Pack It In, Pack It Out – Garbage and Trash Alike

Garbage and trash on Colorado’s Fourteeners is a very real problem with a very simple solution: pack it out. More than just an eyesore, litter can endanger wildlife and kill tundra plants.

Garbage – defined as biodegradable food waste such as orange peels, eggshells, leftover oatmeal, or coffee grounds – and trash – defined as non-food items such as aluminum cans, plastic bags, candy wrappers, or nylon rope – should be packed out. While most people understand that leaving trash behind is wrong, they sometimes consider biodegradable food waste benign. It is not. In fact, garbage left behind attracts animals that, in time, come to depend on humans as a food source. Burning or burying garbage is not an option because neither method will break down the garbage completely. Animals will invariably smell, locate, and eat this food.

Furthermore, garbage and trash left on tundra blocks critical sunlight and water from plants, thereby killing them. In fact, a single piece of litter can kill the alpine plants it covers in three to four weeks. Decomposition in alpine areas is extremely slow, worsening the impact of improperly disposed garbage and trash. Even an orange peel left behind will require many years to fully decompose. Given the slow rate of breakdown and the advent of plastics, present-day litter left in Colorado’s high country could forseeably last thousands of years. Neither garbage nor trash should be left in the backcountry. If you pack it in, pack it out.

Wash Dishes Responsibly

Hot water and a little elbow grease can tackle most backcountry cleaning chores; therefore soap, which is harmful to the environment, is unnecessary for most dishwashing jobs. Even biodegradable soap can add harmful compounds to soil, vegetation, and water sources. Dishwater and water used to cook food (i.e. pasta water), is called “gray water” and should be strained for food particles and scattered widely, away from camp. All strained food particles should be packed out.

Dispose of Human Waste Properly

Proper disposal of human waste – solid and liquid alike – in Colorado’s high country requires special considerations. Human fecal matter contains pathogens and bacteria that pollute water and endanger humans and other animals. Urine, although essentially sterile, can have a severe impact on humans, wildlife, and plants alike. By understanding the effects of human waste in alpine areas, you will be better prepared to dispose of your wastes properly.

Below timberline, bury solid human waste in a cathole – Since solid human waste deposited on the surface is likely to pollute water sources and offend other visitors, it is generally recommended that hikers bury feces below timberline. To promote decomposition, choose a site in organic soil, rather than sandy or mineral soil. With a small garden trowel, dig a hole four to eight inches deep and four to six inches in diameter. After use, refill the hole with organic soil and debris (exposure to organic soil will speed up the breakdown of the feces) and disguise it with natural materials. It is inappropriate to deposit human waste under rocks, because rock inhibits moisture and heat, critical factors in decomposition.

Above treeline, pack out all solid human waste – Digging catholes above timberline damages tundra plants. Smearing feces, a technique advocated by some, is unsanitary and has a tremendous social impact when discovered. Instead, carry a paper bag containing a small amount of kitty litter which is placed inside of a plastic bag. Deposit the feces in the paper bag, roll it up, and place the package within a sealed plastic bag (a small dry bag, like those used for kayaking, works well too). Pack the entire package out with you and deposit it, minus the plastic bag, in an outhouse, RV waste facility, or septic tank. Do not deposit human feces in trashcans or dumpsters, since it is illegal and unsanitary. Also, do not deposit plastic bags in outhouses or toilets because the bags will clog such facilities. If packing out human waste makes you uncomfortable, go below treeline and use the cathole method. Remember that when climbing Fourteeners, we take on an added responsibility to preserve their rare and fragile environments.

Avoid Urinating on Vegetation – Animals that live on Fourteeners, especially mountain goats and marmots, are attracted to the salt content in urine. Urine residue can entice animals to chew on plants and dig up soil. This can be especially harmful in tundra communities where regrowth of damaged vegetation is extremely slow. Instead of urinating on vegetation, urinate on rock, mineral soil, or duff. Urine’s strong odor can also become a factor when concentrated in one area. With this in mind, avoid urinating on summits and areas where people frequently camp. If a campsite reeks of urine, people will be less likely to camp there and may therefore create a new and unnecessary campsite.

Pack Out Toilet Paper and Feminine Hygiene Products

Toilet paper and feminine hygiene products should always be packed out. The bleaches, perfumes, and dyes used in such products do not belong in a backcountry setting. Burying such matter is inappropriate, especially since animals will be attracted to the scent and will dig it up. Carry extra ziplock bags, double bag feminine hygiene products and toilet paper, and pack them out. An alternative to packing out toilet paper is forgoing its use and trying “natural” alternatives, such as clean stones, smooth sticks, and snow. Toilet paper should not be burned as this disposal technique has resulted in many forest fires.