Trassssssh

[ruebear]

Hey everyone! the clock is finally ticking however I can't seem to find the answer to my question. What do you use to hold your trash in? I'll explain my situation first, I'll be attending alone and camping with the wonderful and sweet Ratty, however, I don't know where to put my trash WHILE I'm there. I understand trash needs to be taken out and there aren't any trash cans available but being that my tent barely has enough room for myself and my belongings, where do you guys put your trash? I don't think it's safe to keep all trash in my tent therefore, should I buy a can or box and leave it outside my tent? Do you stake your trash can or box to something outside your tent while you're away?

[maladroit]

Why is it not safe to keep trash in your tent?

Make as little trash as possible, put it in a plastic bag.

It's safer INSIDE your tent, because if you put out a trash can and stake it down nicely, gremlins will come and fill it for you.

P.S. Your trash counts as "your belongings."

[Sham]

This is where you need to get a bit creative. Eliminate as much packaging as you can before heading to the playa. Bring heavy contractor trash bags and once you have a full, tightly packed bag, tie a rope on it so it doesn't blow away. The goal should be to consolidate your trash as much as possible because it must all be hauled out with you.

[FIGJAM]

I use a homer bucket and lid, lined with a 13 gal. trash bag.

The lid keeps things from getting smelly.

[lucky420]

You can tie your trash bag to rebar or attach it to your side view mirror or number on your car. Make sure it's attached well and tie a knot at the top of it so stuff doesn't blow out. I do this and have never had a problem.

[graidawg]

Go to your local coffee shop ask them for any old burlap sacks they have (it's What the beans get Delivered in) put barnacle trash in that, aluminium cans can be recycled and other trash in the aformentioned garbage bag.

[Eric]

We have a small, janky tent we use (conveniently called "the trash tent") - check craigslist or even stores that are selling damaged merchandise. You're not living in it, it just needs to go (mostly) up, and zip shut, plus have a way to be staked down. We also store our water in it to add weight, then toss the empty jugs in there (after they've been crushed, of course).

[skippy3k]

All good suggestions. This may seem obvious, but if, by chance, you are arriving in a truck, just throw it in the truck bed and tie it to something.

[ruebear]

Thank you everyone!! Since my tent is very small, there's barely enough room for myself and my other belongings. I also figured bacteria would start to grow in the trash bags especially due to the heat so I wanted to avoid having that directly in my face when sleeping in my tent. Everyone's answers were very helpful.

Thank you and see you all on the playa!! And of course, the Meet and Greet

[MrBeardy]

Also if you are taking fruit like oranges or bananas, bring a mesh bag and throw the peels in it and hang it in camp. Within a day they will be dried out and not smell up your trash or camp.

[EGAZ]

I dug this thread up to ask the question; what do you use for a trash can? Above I have read:

• A small damaged tent you buy for cheap. -- I assume this is for larger camps.
  Hang the commercial grade bags from your vehicle mirror or shade structure. -- Maybe off the shade structure but never off my mirror.
  Burlap Coffee Bean bags. -- Same as above
  Home Depot bucket. -- Kinda small

I normally use this on the sand.. I throw a log in it before the trash bag and it works well. But we don't have the high winds that the playa does. And its mostly glass beer bottles, cans, water bottles & some cardboard containers. The dunes have Dumpsters we pay for via season & week long passes. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't. Depends on the weekend/traffic/lines, etc.

This one has a cover and is a tad bigger. Which I can throw a bungee on it if the top does not 'snap on' very strongly. And I can use it to carry a full bag home

I also read above, (or was it another post?) That if your trash can is visible, some/many will wander over and make use of it. I can see this happening if your camp is on the street. How big of an issue is it?

I understand to remove all packaging and do what I can to reduce trash. Cans & plastic bottles as much as possible. Maybe if a neighbor has a camp fire and will allow burning of clean paper/cardboard. Or maybe not. (Don't know if this is kosher or how many camp fires there are. I do know they need to be attended at all times so I would observe first, then maybe ask)

I could slide another bag over my collapsible trash can to act as a lid. I do use a small bungee to hold the main bag in place. Weighted properly, would this stand up to the wind or should I just get the larger plastic can with lid?

[mudpuppy000]

I use one of those collapsible trash cans. I usually have it behind the bar or in my shade structure so not sure how well they do if they're out in the open. You could always put something heavy in the bottom then a trash bag on top.

Cardboard leaves a surprising amount of ashes. We had our burn barrel fill up quickly with ash one year because people kept coming by and burning their cardboard in it. Don't count on someone letting you burn something in their barrel, unless maybe if it's cold and they're running low on fuel.

[Eric]

I dug this thread up to ask the question; what do you use for a trash can? Above I have read:

A small damaged tent you buy for cheap. -- I assume this is for larger camps.

That would be an incorrect assumption. Our trash tent is used by 4 people, not a large camp. It stakes down, it zips shut (so it's not obvious to losers who want to dump some trash), and it's a piece of shit so we don't care if something spills in it. We don't even beat the dust off of it, it goes into storage coated with it, and we've been using this one for probably 8 years now.

[Roundabout]

I saw on another topic your post of parts for an EMT shade structure. Our camp uses collapsible trash containers too and we always just use a piece of rope to tie the handle of the container to an EMT leg. This works fine in a walled shade structure. However, if your shade structure blows away, all bets are off.

[Captain Goddammit]

One of the most important pieces of information contained in Eric's reply: stealth.
Don't make your garbage container obvious. It will magically fill itself up to and beyond capacity.

[EGAZ]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.

[LowePro]

"If your trash can is visible, some/many will wander over and make use of it. "
YES! Especially if you have any camp parties/events.

"...Using a neighbor's burn barrel" It could happen, but also could not. Burn barrels are not always common in all neighborhoods.

Keep aluminum cans separate and you can drop them at Recycle camp.

Get high-quality/thick plastic trash bags that won't rip. No dollar-store cheapies. Trust me.
If your camp is diligent enough to separate glass and plastic, you can drop it at roadside recycling stops on the way to Reno for a few bucks.

[Savannah]

* I keep a 2-foot high silvery mesh wastebasket in my tent. (It fits 4 bottles of newspaper-swaddled wine or liquor on the way to the event). It fits nicely under a wooden tv tray, which is my bedside table. If you brush your teeth with only a sip of water, you can even spit your toothpaste into a tissue, chuck it in the wastebasket and the desert air will dry it out. A spritz of Lysol is nice, though.

* I keep a kitchen trash bag hidden discreetly (and tied down) in my food prep area. I try to keep the mouth of the bag open slightly (though not in a way so as to permit items to escape) so the trash can dry out.

* Trash gets full? Close it and chuck it into the truck bed. The years I arrived in a car, I kept the trash hidden but outside of the car until Exodus; no need to smell up the car.

I always bring a few more trash bags than I think are necessary, and some smaller plastic moop bags for my Bag of Wandering.

[Ratty]

I always bring a lot of heavy duty trash bags. My hidden fear is that it will rain and I'll be loading muddy or dirt clod tarps and tents into my van on exodus. Every year I fine tune the trash receptacles. At the end I slip them into large disposable cloth bags. Stomp them down as small as possible and squeeze them in the van last. If I draw a happy face on one and rest a hat on it I have someone to talk to on the ride home.

[EGAZ]

Thanks all!

I have the benefit of having room to bring things. I camp in my Rolling Man Cave, RMC. I am either camping solo or as a satellite to a smaller Theme Camp. So traffic 'should be' rather low(er) compared to others. And though I would like to camp road side, which increases visibility, this may not happen depending on arrival time.

I carry a box of construction grade trash bags. Inside I have a small office trash can that takes the smaller white trash bags. When full it goes into the collapsible trash can out side.

mobilemancave600x800.jpg

Hard to see in the pic but my collapsible trash can, linked in a post above, is to the right of the table. Between the table and the door. This is 'too obvious' from what I am hearing. So I will move it too the truck bed which will have some type of shade cover to help hide it. Still deciding what type, monkey hut or a setup like FIGJAM's. Only mine would only go to the top, front edge of the RMC covering the bed and tonque area of the trailer. Once I test build my EMT structure, I will make the call.

figjam cover.jpg

The awning will not be used to keep it from being destroyed as I have an EMT structure instead. The speaker boxes hanging on the side (one can be seen the other just the bottom edge) will be 'secured' so they don't walk off. I also have a Bazooka Nitrous SubWoofer That sits on a stand under the table, between the wheels. This will be put away, when I'm away.

Recyclables will be separated, mesh bag used to dry out wet items in the bed of the truck. And no burning!

[Savannah]

Sounds great!

[Rusty Needles]

What is needed to safely burn your paper based trash?

I heard a burn barrel. Is that just any metal 5 gallon bucket?

[Token]

What is needed to safely burn your paper based trash?

I heard a burn barrel. Is that just any metal 5 gallon bucket?

No. It's complicated. Don't do it. There are so many rules about burn barrels you'll get a hernia just learning about them.

Use an existing burn platform of which there are plenty.

Just take a walk with your burnables. You'll find it.

[AntiM]

No trash in the public platforms anymore. Just clean wood too small to be reused.