Trash Cams

[bayview]

After doing a section hike a few weeks ago, I spoke with a trail worker that was cleaning a shelter about garbage. Why does ATC not place near proof trash receptacles at major locations and intersections of trail with highway. It would probably help reduce extra garbage on trail. I am sure logistics could be figured out to ensure they would be emptied during hiking seasons.

[Gambit McCrae]

Whose going to fund this major trash receptival project?
whose going to empty these trash cans?
cost of trash bags alone?
why would people throwing trash away at shelters and along the trail now keep that trash till they get to a road?

[MuddyWaters]

They would need to be emptied regularly
This would involve paying somebody

Trash is light
Yeah some people leave trash at shelters
Those people will always leave trash anywhere

For the rest of us
Not a big deal to carry our trash to town

A better solution is to just get rid of the shelter

[GoldenBear]

The placement of easy-to-use garbage cans does NOT reduce the amount of trash in an area -- it INCREASES it. Plain & simple, unless the cans are emptied pretty much every day, people dump their house trash into them and overwhelm their carrying capacity. This is an undeniable FACT in cities, rural areas, parks (ever wonder why you don't see a lot of cans in parks?), and DEFINITELY along roads.

It would be great if the ONLY trash left at cans, located where The Trail meets roads, was junk left by hikers. But a fact we can NOT ignore is that it would soon become a dumping ground for everybody who drives along that road.
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/liv...3DCABERw~1.jpg

May I suggest that each of us simply carry out a LITTLE bit of trash at each shelter? I truly believe the good guys far out-number the bad guys in this regard, and if each of us takes a handful or so of junk from a shelter, add it to our own trash bags (you know, the ones where we pack out what we pack in?); we would accomplish a LOT more than putting garbage magnets next to roads.

[Durunner]

Sounds good in theory, but others already brought up plenty of good points. Imagine this though. Let's say 100 backpackers go through an area a day. Say 5 out of the 100 trash the shelter while the other 95 pack out their trash. Now, we introduce that trash can. Even if the 5 people now use it, the other 95 or at least a good majority of those will probably also use it. Imagine how much more thrash that creates with 100 people with 3 days or more of trash. The can will get full very quickly.

[Dogwood]

Carry your own trash out. The AT is easy enough logistically to hike as it is.

[BuckeyeBill]

Pack it in, pack it out.

[bayview]

He’s, you people act as I was too lazy to pick out my trash, I am not. I am probably on of the biggest LNT people. There are solutions out there.

Many want to make an excuse to a solution without offering alternatives to a problem. Instead of criticizing someone for their ideas, why not find solutions. Many people that follow LNT like my idea while I was on the trail two weeks ago.

I understand some thoughts out there, but why do we lump everyone into one group.

[Two Tents]

bayview, I hear ya! I'm not sure a trash can solution is the best solution. Nor is doing away with shelters a serious answer. Some would not care if there was a can not far away. I've seen people miss an empty dumpster with a bad throw of trash and just leave it where it landed. Pass a law, make a rule, put up signs, it won't matter. Litterbugs don't care. If solutions to getting people to change happens then that is golden. People ( some) don't give things like litter any thought whatsoever. I have always carried out more than what I take in. Until things change it is my way to help.

[Leo L.]

I've made good experience by picking up litter occassionally within clear view of "litter bugs". Heard lots of positive comments that put the litter spenders ashame.
Not that I'll do this every time, but just occassionally when I think it would make a great example.
In other cases I just pick up and depose in the next bin.

[Pondjumpr]

[QUOTE=GoldenBear;2213381]The placement of easy-to-use garbage cans does NOT reduce the amount of trash in an area -- it INCREASES it. Plain & simple, people dump their house trash at cans, overwhelming it...
[/QUOTE]

This is very true. I work at a bank and have done so for almost 20 years. Early in my career, we had trash cans by the ATM machines. In theory, it was so someone could throw away the receipt if they didn't want it. In reality, it became a place where people placed cups, fast food garbage, water bottles, etc. It was often filled to capacity, or over, daily. We no longer place trash receptacles by the ATM or outside the bank. If you ever notice trash receptacles at gas stations, this is pretty much the same thing. People stop to get gas and they empty their cars of any and all trash. Many stations no longer place trash receptacles near pumps for the same reason.

I imagine that trailside cans would have the same impact. While it is nice in theory, many people, possibly unknowingly, would cause a bigger issue than what is already present. Let's be honest, most people don't carry their trash all the way home when on trail. They empty the trash at the first trash receptacle they see. It's just how it is.

[orthofingers]

There's a gravel parking lot at the town forest where I "hike" every morning with my dogs. They used to have two trash receptacles there. They were always overflowing with pizza boxes, beer cans, clothing articles and a couple of times, old mattresses. Since they removed them about five years ago, I pick up the stray can or bottle and the place is much cleaner.

[TexasBob]

[QUOTE=Pondjumpr;2213409]

The placement of easy-to-use garbage cans does NOT reduce the amount of trash in an area -- it INCREASES it. Plain & simple, people dump their house trash at cans, overwhelming it...
[/QUOTE]

This is very true. I work at a bank and have done so for almost 20 years. Early in my career, we had trash cans by the ATM machines. In theory, it was so someone could throw away the receipt if they didn't want it. In reality, it became a place where people placed cups, fast food garbage, water bottles, etc. It was often filled to capacity, or over, daily. We no longer place trash receptacles by the ATM or outside the bank. If you ever notice trash receptacles at gas stations, this is pretty much the same thing. People stop to get gas and they empty their cars of any and all trash. Many stations no longer place trash receptacles near pumps for the same reason.

I imagine that trailside cans would have the same impact. While it is nice in theory, many people, possibly unknowingly, would cause a bigger issue than what is already present. Let's be honest, most people don't carry their trash all the way home when on trail. They empty the trash at the first trash receptacle they see. It's just how it is.

There's a gravel parking lot at the town forest where I "hike" every morning with my dogs. They used to have two trash receptacles there. They were always overflowing with pizza boxes, beer cans, clothing articles and a couple of times, old mattresses. Since they removed them about five years ago, I pick up the stray can or bottle and the place is much cleaner.

It strikes me as ironic that one of the reasons for not having trash cans is that people put trash in them.

[Bcollarhiker]

Not much of a poster here but people leaving trash behind or spray panting on the trail gets my blood boiling, I say we need stricter laws regarding this, lets start with a 1000.00 dollar minimum fine for littering, if you cant pay it, minimum 1 week in your local cell, fine and prison times goes up for repeat offenders, plus police actually need to enforce this law, i cant tell you how many times I saw people dump fast food bags out of there cars with a police officer right there not giving it a second look

[Bcollarhiker]

I would also say lets get rid of shelters that are less than a few miles from the roads since those seem to be the worst when it comes to people leaving trash

[nsherry61]

Two thoughts, mostly repeating previous points of view:
1) Trash cans only work when there is reliable funding to keep them emptied as often as needed, likely once a day or more during certain times of year. Most parks systems struggle to manage manage trash. In the case of the AT it would be 100+ different jurisdictions trying to manage trashcans at trailheads. Organizing a trail-long system would be insanely difficult or impossible and super expensive. However, I'm sure there are already examples of some places where this is done. Nothing wrong with encouraging it in other places where the resources are there to manage it. Heck Bayview, maybe you could take on organizing an effort at one or two trailheads you think are worth putting your time into.

2) I go through phases where I put quite a bit of effort into making sure I pick up other people's trash along trails and in camp sites I visit. The really big surprise for me is how long my efforts pay off. It turns out that, in my experience, the vast majority of trash along trails and in campsites has been there quite a while and does NOT accumulate quickly. So, if even a significant minority of us out there take the trouble to pick up the trash others leave behind, those spaces stay amazingly clean. It really takes a whole community refusing to put just a little extra effort into cleaning up other peoples messes to allow these places to be cluttered.

In summary, if we each do even a little bit to clean up the clutter of others, it makes a huge difference, especially in more remote areas!

[TSWisla]

I wish that people would stop trying to burn their trash. It is never completely burned away and always ends up being a huge, disgusting mess. What is wrong with people!? Pack in, pack out. Simple concept!!!

[BillyGr]

Perhaps if they were to consider this, it would be necessary to place them not quite at the trailhead, but within a reasonable distance from one. That is, just enough into the trees so that the average person driving by isn't going to see them but those walking on the trail would be able to spot them easily, and they'd still be close enough for whoever was picking it up to get it out without too much trouble.

[rocketsocks]

Why rely on any entity to provide something we all should have learned in pre-school, outside of lobbying for a corridor to hike the ATC shouldn’t be responsible for diddly squat.

[George]

Perhaps if they were to consider this, it would be necessary to place them not quite at the trailhead, but within a reasonable distance from one. That is, just enough into the trees so that the average person driving by isn't going to see them but those walking on the trail would be able to spot them easily, and they'd still be close enough for whoever was picking it up to get it out without too much trouble.

trash containers that resist animals are heavy and expensive - putting it away from the road greatly multiplies the labor to service it - no easy solution
also remember any additional tasks taken on by the volunteer workforce means something else needs to be eliminated

to those with the great ideas fo garbage collection -------- go ahead and do it, let us know how it goes