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I'm of the opinion that burning trash on a campout is a bad idea, and violates LNT guidelines ("pack it in, pack it out").

 

But there is an active discussion on CUB-L about this, and some are of the opinion that some paper (like brown paper bags) and non-coated paper is OK to burn.

 

I still think its a bad idea to put anything into a fire except firestarters and firewood.

 

How do your units handle this?

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Boy have things changed.

When I joined Scouting the prescribed method of disposing of tin cans was "Burn'em Bash'em and Bury'em".

As for burning trash, I think a lot depends on where you are camping and what sort of camping you are doing.

What might be acceptable at your local scout camp is not going to acceptable if you are out on the trail.

Eamonn.

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Things have really changed since I was a scout. With the push for Leave No Trace, campfires are used a lot less often and most cooking is done over stoves. (when I was a scout, only the adults were allowed to use the stove). This being the case, most of the camp meals I have seen involve as little trash as possible and what there is is compacted down to very small packets in order to be packed out, even in front country camps.

 

If there IS a campfire, I recommend not putting anything in it that will not be completely consumed as it will later have to be fished out of the coals. Even in the case of paper, I am reluctant to put it in the fire as it tends to blow a lot of ash around.

 

On a completely seperate note.... I was surprised at how many scouters I have run across that did not know that you could boil water in a waxed cup. It makes an interesting demonstration to do for the boys as well. Simply fill a waxed paper Dixie cup or similar product full of water and set it directly on the coals. The water will keep the cup cool enough not to burn where it is touching. As the water boils off, the top rim of the cup will burn away down to the water line, but the cup will stay intact where the water is.

 

Gavvin

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The Backcountry video found on the Yellowstone National Park web site talks about burning your trash and then sifting through the ashes to pull out unconsumables, such as aluminum foil, which is then packed out. My thought is the fire will destroy the food odor you would get with packing 2-3 day old garbage around.

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"My thought is the fire will destroy the food odor you would get with packing 2-3 day old garbage around." this is very true. when we hike up in NH, we burn what we can, and things like the aluminum foil packages, we even will burn just to remove the scent of food.

 

i find nothing wrong with burning trash. as long as the conditions are right, such as no wind, no burn bans, there is a fire ring of some kind, and it is done in the right way.

 

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I say burn it, burn it all then pack out the metal. To be honest, I would even say bury the metal in small amounts. I'm sorry, but this whole carrying your garbage another 40 miles out is foolish. For those of you worried about the air polution, natural releases of "green house gas" out number man made by somewhere in the range of 1000 to 1, the sandwich bag isn't going to cause global warming, heck, we don't even know if global warming is something we can control.

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Last summer our outfitter in the Boundary Waters told us to burn everything burnable and pack out only the non-burnables. That basically amounted to aluminum foil packaging. Worked well for us!

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Before dumping things in your campfire, you might take a look at:

 

"What's Burning in your Campfire? Garbage In, Toxics Out"

 

http://leavenotrace-ga.org/downloads/trainer/toxics-campfires1.pdf

 

This recreation Tech Tip from the USDA Forest Service was published in September, 2004 and gives chapter and verse on why LNT says "Pack it Out", and "Minimize the Impact of Fire".

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Our burning rule for sticks is, 'if you put the stick in the fire, you can't take it out'. As far as burning trash, we allow them to burn paper. But no cans and absolutely NO plastic. Metal and plastic is packed out no matter what.

BTW, I sometimes get an opportunity to make a sucker bet with someone about aluminum foil burning in the fire. I do enjoy winning those bets.

I should add, we also don't allow burning:

tires

the forest (even small portions thereof)

the SM's tent

his sleeping bag

his (fill in the blank)

each other's hair

little sis or brother

small animals

breakfast

big animals (unless they are hamburger)

 

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