Dealing with garbage while cruising

[Keldee]

Reducing and re-using waste is a subject near and dear to my heart not only while cruising.
After seeing many people cruising the Bahamas towing their garbage in big black bags behind them in the dinghy,I would like to get an idea how others view this and what their solutions are or if they have even given it some thought.

[Boasun]

1. Remove all un-necessary boxes & wrappings that are on the products.
2. As you barbacue use it to burn some of the waste paper. The reason we don't have burn barrels on work boats is because a burning barrel is one of the distress signals... So don't put out to much of a smoke signal if you can help it. And don't burn your fish or steaks either.

3. If you can't fit a trash compactor on your boat then do the can stomp dance to flatten those cans. Remove the labels from the cans before you sail and mark them with stencil pencils and log the stamped markings on the cans also.

Note: Removing un-necessary boxes & wrappings also reduces the chance of having vermin on board also.
Also don't use cardboard boxes to separate products. All you are doing is installing apartment housing for vermin. Use Plastic boxes or milk crates.

[sailhog]

We place our trash in garbage bags and then, once they're full, throw them overboard. The trash usually floats for a while, as the air in the bags gives them some buoyancy. One time we had a whole string if 15 or so bags floating behind us row for as far as the eye could see of the Florida Keys! This was at dusk, with the sun illuminating each of the bulging white bags in a beautiful "S" on the horizon. Absolutely gorgeous sight.

One word of caution, however: if you choose to use this method, be sure to remove any papers with your boat's name or your name on them. Nobody wants a bunch of water cops telling you what you can and cannot do.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by sailhog

We place our trash in garbage bags and then, once they're full, throw them overboard. ......

.. and that's how you find your way back, eh, Hog?

[sailhog]

Faster,
You aren't going to believe this, but my wife and I were left in the forest as young children by our parents. We walked around for days, trying to find our way back. My wife had left a trail of bread crumbs, but the ******* birds ate them so we got good and lost. We found this old lady who lived in a house made of candy... very weird. The old bitch tried to throw us in her ******* oven! ONe of those too-weird-not-to-be-true stories...

[sailingdog]

Unless he put any of his diapers in the bags...then the trail of dead fish is usually easier to follow, since the trash bags spontaneously combust.. .

Originally Posted by Faster

.. and that's how you find your way back, eh, Hog?

[Cruisingdad]

Originally Posted by sailhog

We place our trash in garbage bags and then, once they're full, throw them overboard. The trash usually floats for a while, as the air in the bags gives them some buoyancy. One time we had a whole string if 15 or so bags floating behind us row for as far as the eye could see of the Florida Keys! This was at dusk, with the sun illuminating each of the bulging white bags in a beautiful "S" on the horizon. Absolutely gorgeous sight.

One word of caution, however: if you choose to use this method, be sure to remove any papers with your boat's name or your name on them. Nobody wants a bunch of water cops telling you what you can and cannot do.

I cannot believe I just read that!!! That is completely illegal and you know it!!!

You need to dispose of your trash propoerly by throwing it in an approved Telstar 28. Be green and keep all the trash together... that's our motto. If you cannot find a Telstar near you, PM me and I will give you SD's address to overnight your garbage.

On a more serious note, we never had a roach problem with cardboard, but we did not use a lot of it. We did always crush our cans. We tried to avoid plastic things where possible, but always used plastic baggies where needed and a lot of the reuseable containers which work great for the boat. We threw our food items overboard (fish love em), but the trash still has a way of starting to stink. That is why we used plastic garbage bags. Paper bags really did not work for us - though we always carry one or two in case of glass breakage. We kept our trash (tightly sealed) in the lazarette. The trick is to try and rinse as much of the stuff that might stink off as we could.

- CD

[rwlh1950]

You must be pulling my p..... No true sailor throws rubbish into the sea any more surely. You brought it out then take it back to land with you. Cut out as much disposable junk and other packing as you can.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by Cruisingdad

I cannot believe I just read that!!! That is completely illegal and you know it!!!

You need to dispose of your trash propoerly by throwing it in an approved Telstar 28. Be green and keep all the trash together... that's our motto. If you cannot find a Telstar near you, PM me and I will give you SD's address to overnight your garbage.

This coming from the guy who uses his brick BBQ pit as an incinerator...

On a more serious note, we never had a roach problem with cardboard, but we did not use a lot of it. We did always crush our cans. We tried to avoid plastic things where possible, but always used plastic baggies where needed and a lot of the reuseable containers which work great for the boat. We threw our food items overboard (fish love em), but the trash still has a way of starting to stink. That is why we used plastic garbage bags. Paper bags really did not work for us - though we always carry one or two in case of glass breakage. We kept our trash (tightly sealed) in the lazarette. The trick is to try and rinse as much of the stuff that might stink off as we could.

- CD

Seriously... I think you need to have a decent trash management plan and you need to keep food trash separate from dry trash.

[RanAweigh]

[QUOTE=Cruisingdad;477826]I cannot believe I just read that!!! That is completely illegal and you know it!!!

It would appear that he meant it to be "tongue in cheek".

The part about the old lady in the forest and the oven certainly seems true thoughhttp://www.sailnet.com/forums/images/smilies/laugher.gif