Leave No Trace is usually taught as seven principles and remembered as none. As a site routine it is four waste streams, a volume estimate, and a walk-around. That version survives a wet Sunday morning.
The four waste streams
| Stream | Where it goes | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Food waste | Packed out | Buried or burned |
| Human waste | Cathole or wag bag | Buried too shallow |
| Grey water | Strained, dispersed, or packed out | Poured at the site |
| Trash and recycling | Packed out, sorted at home | Burned in the fire ring |
Burning food waste and burying it are the same mistake: animals dig it up, and the site is contaminated for the next camper.
Volume per person per day
| Item | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Food packaging | 0.5–1 L | 100–200 g |
| Cans and bottles | 0.3–0.6 L | 150–300 g |
| Paper and wrappers | 0.2 L | 50 g |
| Wet wipes (packed out) | 0.1 L | 50 g |
| Total | 1–2 L | 350–600 g |
Two people for three nights is roughly 6–12 L of trash. Bring a dedicated trash bag with a closure, not a grocery bag that tears.
Pack-out requirement
| Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| National parks | Everything out, including crumbs |
| Wilderness areas | Everything out |
| Dispersed public land | Everything out; some allow buried human waste |
| Private campgrounds | Dumpsters on site; recycling varies |
Food waste includes apple cores, eggshells, and coffee grounds. “It’s biodegradable” is true and irrelevant: it is still foreign to the site and still attracts animals.
Grey water
| Amount | Method |
|---|---|
| Under 1 L | Strain, scatter widely away from water |
| 1–5 L | Strain, bury in a cathole 6 in deep |
| Over 5 L | Pack out or use the campground dump |
| With soap or food | Pack out; do not scatter |
Use biodegradable soap and use it 200 ft from water. Scattering grey water around the tent is not LNT; it is a smell that follows you to the next site.
Human waste
| Method | Where | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Cathole | Dispersed land, 200 ft from water | 6–8 in |
| Wag bag | Required in many parks and all river corridors | Pack out |
| Portable toilet | Campgrounds without facilities | Pack out |
| Restroom | Developed campgrounds | — |
Pack out toilet paper in a sealed bag. Buried paper is dug up by animals within a day, and the site shows it for months.
Bear-safe storage
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
| Hard-sided vehicle | Food out of sight, windows up |
| Bear box | Close the latch fully; it is not a shelf |
| Bear canister | 100 ft from the tent, not in it |
| Hang | 10 ft up, 4 ft from the trunk |
Store anything with a smell: toothpaste, sunscreen, gum, cooking clothes, and the trash bag. A bear that finds a scented item in a tent learns the wrong lesson about tents.
Recycling rules
| Material | Campground | Backcountry |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium cans | Often recycled | Pack out, crush flat |
| Plastic bottles | Often recycled | Pack out |
| Glass | Usually not accepted | Do not bring |
| Food-soiled paper | Trash | Pack out |
| Batteries | Take home | Take home |
Campground recycling is usually single-stream and often contaminated. Rinse cans and bottles; a greasy can contaminates the whole bin.
The walk-around
Before leaving, walk the site in a spiral from the tent outward:
- Tent footprint area: stakes, guyline, groundsheet.
- Fire ring: ash cold, no food scraps.
- Cooking area: bottle caps, wrappers, fuel canisters.
- Water point: soap, sponge, hair.
- Parking spot: oil spots, chocks, cable ties.
- Perimeter: toilet paper, wipes, dog waste.
The items left behind are almost always small, and almost always the ones that matter: a bottle cap, a wipe, a bit of foil.
Where to go next
For campsite selection, see the campsite check; for toilets, the camping toilet guide; for food storage, the food storage guide.
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