Backpacking can be fun no matter the distance, as long as you plan properly. After all, spending a lot of time outdoors can result in leaving waste in the wild, from bottles to plastic plates and beyond. Luckily, you can reduce waste easily if you prepare early enough. So, let’s talk about a few simple but helpful things you can do to reduce your waste while backpacking.
Avoid Disposable Items
One of the best tips is to avoid packing or buying disposable items for your trip. Simply put, don’t buy products that create waste if you want a waste-free adventure. For instance, snacks are must-haves for retaining energy when backpacking, but plastic wrappers and containers can create waste. Likewise, plastic water bottles, straws, cups, and other similar disposable items are best to avoid during your adventure.
Bring Reusable Alternatives
Don’t worry; just because food and drink containers create waste doesn’t mean you can’t bring them on your trip. For example, reusable water bottles will eliminate the need to buy disposable plastic bottles. One 26oz Water-to-Go filter replaces 400 single use plastic bottles.
Our camping water purifier bottle is reusable. You can fill it at any natural water source, purifying and creating clean, healthy drinking water. You can also pack homemade snacks in reusable containers instead of buying disposable alternatives from a convenience store.
Pack High-Nutrition, Low-Packaging Snacks
Reduce your waste while backpacking by preparing low-packaging snacks. In an active hobby like backpacking, nutrition is key Packing reusable items is a great step when brainstorming things you can do to reduce your waste while backpacking. That said, if you stop to camp for a bit on your trip, always double-check your site before leaving to ensure you’re not being accidentally wasteful. Plus, picking up a powerful purifier bottle only to forget it at your first pitstop can be frustrating.
In addition, reusable containers can help you reduce waste, but they can create it too if you leave them at a campsite while backpacking. Thankfully, as you can see from the above tips, cutting down waste while traveling outdoors is easy and effective. Try these tips on your next trip to see how quickly they can become habits.
