Toilet paper on the camino

[Janana]

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

 

[trecile]

I'm afraid that you're preaching to the choir here. This topic comes up regularly.

 

[Dani7]

I had the same experience at many nature stops on the Frances. All I can do is leave no trace behind for myself. It is not pleasant and I don’t Understand the rationale.

 

[C clearly]

I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes.

Regular readers of the forum would not be surprised.

I don’t Understand the rationale.

There is no rationale. There is no thought except one's own convenience.

It is a matter of general education and attitude towards litter.

 

[Janana]

I'm afraid that you're preaching to the choir here. This topic comes up regularly.

Yes, I did see the posts. Any solutions??? Issuing plastic TP bags with Camino Stamp Passports???

 

[gcdolezal]

In the USA I bought compostable dog-poop bags and use those to carry my used paper. I also use them for untimely feces (double bag if necessary). I made space in the top of my pack to carry the used bag and then watch for a disposal bin. It’s worked very well!

 

[woody66]

Yes, I did see the posts. Any solutions??? Issuing plastic TP bags with Camino Stamp Passports???

HiJanana!

Some people don't care what effect they have on others and where they live.
I would expect some bright spark will think i can hang this off a tree and others will follow moving the problem to a higher level!
Woody
EDIT: Posted the above yesterday!
Here is an example of the way people think near where i live.
There is a public footpath across farmland where i walk my dog marked by the acorn sign on a wooden post! (200metres away as you leave the road there is a poo bin)
Around the base of the wooden post there are i imagine in excess of two or three hundred multi coloured full dog poo bags !
People are sheep "Oh look they've done it;so it must be OK"
Then the Flock gets bigger.

 

[Ivan_Prada]

Maybe this is very applicable for those who do such things.

 

[dick bird]

toilet paper in the bushes.

In the bushes? That´s progress, it used to be all over the footpath.

 

[dick bird]

Yes, I did see the posts. Any solutions??? Issuing plastic TP bags with Camino Stamp Passports???

Or signs in every albergue, pension, and hotel along every camino in at least 6 languages asking people not to do it. It wouldn´t stop everyone but at least it gives the message that people know, and care.

 

[Jodean]

If we could get people to start using a Kula cloth or pee rags that they could wash out at night, it might cut down on the TP, as well as all the plastic bags being used to carry it to the trash can. A bandanna cut in fourths is super easy to use and to wash out. (good to use as a hanky too, instead of tissues. I have separate ones)
I did see a number of women with a Kula cloth pinned to their back pack this past spring on the CF, so the word is getting around.

Kula Cloth

Kula Cloth is the very first of its kind, a next-level technical antimicrobial pee cloth for anybody who squats when they pee.

kulacloth.com

 

[Riana Adams]

Yes, I did see the posts. Any solutions??? Issuing plastic TP bags with Camino Stamp Passports???

I agree awareness with photos on posters and bags compulsory buy with the Credential Passport !

 

[lt56ny]

I think anyone who craps wherever they please on any camino can never say they think the camino is sacred space or respects the camino or other pilgrims. (Yea, yea I know there are exceptions but they are few and far between. It ain't that tough to carry baggies and wipes or toilet paper.

 

[El Cascayal]

This sign on the Portugues nearing Santiago says it all. Sobering and so sad.

 

[Elle Bieling]

Portable bidet, as I've posted before. Weighs nothing, takes no room in your pack, uses regular water bottle. I love mine and use it camping/hiking too. Good for number one and two. Combined with a Kula cloth, or bandana to dry off with. Superb.

 

[howardd5]

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

Yes it is a sad sight but if you, duck into the forest for a pee , then other can do it too . It’s too bad there aren’t trash bins somewhere .

 

[Robo]

Just an observation.........

During my four times on the Frances so far, it was sad to see the amount of tissue and worse behind any 'suitable' looking bush.

This year on the VdlP and Invierno, with longer distances between villages, and less facilities open generally, often none all day, I don't recall seeing any such refuse! Nada.

But I only met 2 Pilgrims who were on their 'first' Camino........

Just saying..........

 

[dougfitz]

No doubt we will go through a range of solutions to this problem, many of which will involve what other people, normally the local Spanish or Portuguese governments, should do to fix it.

Although forum members are a very small percentage of the pilgrim population, we can still make a difference by doing some simple things ourselves.

• While I am unlikely to leave behind toilet paper after I urinate, I do carry a plastic bag into which my rubbish is put during the day. That is largely fruit peel and wrappers from muesli bars and sweets. Women who might need to use toilet paper or tissues can do the same, or they can use some of the other, toilet paper free, approaches to feminine hygiene such as @Elle Bieling has already suggested.
• Every time I visit a bar for a coffee and snack, it is my practice to visit the toilet there. If you aren't going to buy something, leave a donation. Where I am staying now, the charge for the use of a toilet in bus and train terminals varies a bit, but expect it to be between .50c and 1 Euro. I don't expect an public toilet to be free in Europe, but I am happy when it is and they are clean as well.
• I have for many years carried the end of a roll of toilet paper and a small trowel, in case I do find myself having to defecate on the trail. I have never needed to use it walking on the Iberian peninsula, but I put that down to there being sufficient bars and cafes where I can use a toilet. In other places I have walked, one isn't always so fortunate.

While my observations over the years are that this is not uniquely a problem on the CF, and this thread was started by someone on the CP, other routes I have walked seem to have far less litter generally, and toilet paper in particular, than I remember being on the CF. It is a shame, but as forum members we can at least do something about it as individuals, and not rely on others to provide convenient solutions, much as that might sound attractive.

 

[Bobbymogs]

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

How about everyone who reads Ivar's posts resolves to pick up the equivalent of one large bag of litter. I'm going to take a small pair of tongs and, as a contribution to the Camino, pick up litter. Maybe over days, maybe one big day, not sure yet. Let's all do that maybe? Let's do it as a tribute to John Brierley

 

[Richmond Gardner]

No doubt we will go through a range of solutions to this problem, many of which will involve what other people, normally the local Spanish or Portuguese governments, should do to fix it.

Although forum members are a very small percentage of the pilgrim population, we can still make a difference by doing some simple things ourselves.

• While I am unlikely to leave behind toilet paper after I urinate, I do carry a plastic bag into which my rubbish is put during the day. That is largely fruit peel and wrappers from muesli bars and sweets. Women who might need to use toilet paper or tissues can do the same, or they can use some of the other, toilet paper free, approaches to feminine hygiene such as @Elle Bieling has already suggested.
• Every time I visit a bar for a coffee and snack, it is my practice to visit the toilet there. If you aren't going to buy something, leave a donation. Where I am staying now, the charge for the use of a toilet in bus and train terminals varies a bit, but expect it to be between .50c and 1 Euro. I don't expect an public toilet to be free in Europe, but I am happy when it is and they are clean as well.
• I have for many years carried the end of a roll of toilet paper and a small trowel, in case I do find myself having to defecate on the trail. I have never needed to use it walking on the Iberian peninsula, but I put that down to there being sufficient bars and cafes where I can use a toilet. In other places I have walked, one isn't always so fortunate.

While my observations over the years is that this is not uniquely a problem on the CF, and this thread was started by someone on the CP, other routes I have walked seem to have far less litter generally, and toilet paper in particular, than I remember being on the CF. It is a shame, but as forum members we can at least do something about it as individuals, and not rely on others to provide convenient solutions, much as that might sound attractive.

As toilet paper is being deposited, all that’s missing is a plastic trowel in your pack to bury the evidence. They are lightweight and allow you to follow the basic rule to “leave no trace”.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

This is in agreement with @dougfitz, to be clear

 

[David Tallan]

Yes it is a sad sight but if you, duck into the forest for a pee , then other can do it too . It’s too bad there aren’t trash bins somewhere .

I think what folks are suggesting is that those others, knowing that there unlikely to be trash bins just sitting in the forest wherever you duck in, might bring some sort of portable rubbish bag to take out the TP to where trash bins can be found.

 

[JabbaPapa]

In case of need, bring your own roll -- and a useful little plastic bag or two, such as those given for fruit or veg purposes in towns or pueblos along the Way.

These sorts of emergencies are rare in my experience, so it should be a small roll ; and in most cases, the next village is near enough.

 

[AnneMarie1]

Just an observation.........

During my four times on the Frances so far, it was sad to see the amount of tissue and worse behind any 'suitable' looking bush.

This year on the VdlP and Invierno, with longer distances between villages, and less facilities open generally, often none all day, I don't recall seeing any such refuse! Nada.

But I only met 2 Pilgrims who were on their 'first' Camino........

Just saying..........

I’m on the Invierno now, and I haven’t seen one single piece of toilet paper. Of course, I also go days without seeing anyone else on the trail at all … I’m using a kula cloth, and it’s working out great. One of the good things about this Camino is that there’s no shortage of places you can easily pee without anyone around.

 

[dougfitz]

I’m on the Invierno now, and I haven’t seen one single piece of toilet paper. Of course, I also go days without seeing anyone else on the trail at all … I’m using a kula cloth, and it’s working out great. One of the good things about this Camino is that there’s no shortage of places you can easily pee without anyone around.

How lucky! I must have the mentality of the herd, because on the CF, whenever I went off the trail to urinate, I found that many others had been there before me. The CP was better, but it was only on some of the less travelled caminos this year that I didn't see toilet paper every time I stopped.

 

[t2andreo]

Having been a Ditch Pig, I have been there and done that - spending the better part of a week picking up other people's used toilet paper - and worse - along the Camino. I endorse everything that Dougfitz has to say on this subject.

Pilgrims SHOULD get in the habit of always carrying their own trash and sanitary waste out with them until it can be property disposed of. The portable bidet idea that Elle speaks of is also great, if you can carry the entra water and don't mind having to wash hands extra, extra well afterwards.

To add my two cents worth to the dialog, here is my personal favorite grabbing tool for toting on Camino - in folds in half and stores in a side pocket:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WVP7QWM/?tag=casaivar02-20

I have purchased these both in the US, and on the Spanish site while in Santiago. I also use this tool around the Pilgrim Office when volunteering, to pick up assorted detritus from the ground. Usually, I leave the one I brought for others to use. As it is always gone by the next time I return, I always bring another one.

IMHO, if everyone did a little, every time, no one would have to do a lot to clean up after others. It is IMHO, the civilized and responsible thing to do.

Hope this helps the dialog.

Tom

 

[Bristle Boy]

I think anyone who craps wherever they please on any camino can never say they think the camino is sacred space or respects the camino or other pilgrims. (Yea, yea I know there are exceptions but they are few and far between. It ain't that tough to carry baggies and wipes or toilet paper.

I would go further and say it disrespects Spain and the Spanish.
Many of the villages and spigots in rural Spain rely on the springs and underground aquifers. This is untreated waste and it should come as no surprise that some water outlets are considered "non potable".

 

[KariC]

Yes, I did see the posts. Any solutions??? Issuing plastic TP bags with Camino Stamp Passports???

Bring dog poop bags with you - super lightweight and inexpensive or free. Then dispose appropriately. I agree, it was disgusting and sad to see such lack of respect for our hosts.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I’m on the Invierno now, and I haven’t seen one single piece of toilet paper.

I recently walked the second half of the Norte and started in Oviedo. I don't recall seeing any toilet paper along the trail or behind bushes. I personally am a fan of using a small day pad to catch any drips (for the ladies) and lasts the whole day.

 

[Janana]

Hello to all who chimed in on this post. Wow -- great thoughts and ideas. I love the sign about "Why are you littering?" Let's keep the conversation alive and spread the ideas and encouragement to all Pilgrims -- present and future. A Clean Camino is a worthy spiritual endeavor.

 

[Karl Oz]

Maybe this is very applicable for those who do such things.

View attachment 149507

Funny, but I think that just a few signs discouraging litter like this could be posted on the Way, with specific reference to toilet paper, with possibly beneficial results.

 

[Bristle Boy]

I live in a beautiful, wonderful part of the world..I am lucky and count my blessings every day.
I live on the "Monarchs Way" a path I walk daily with my lovely furry companion. He appreciates it as much as I. It is a shared path with historical significance and enjoyed by all.
My house has a brook passing the front which feeds the drinking water for Bristol to Chew Valley lake, itself an area of outstanding natural beauty of mixed use beyond the drinking water purpose.
It does not take much imagination for me to envisage that this was a route of religious or cultural significance. I just shut my eyes and let my imagination flow.
Thousands upon thousands of people passing my front door, flying in from all corners of the globe; who now had adopted these ancient byways; bridleways footpaths and roads as their own.
If some of the issues that are raised on this, and other threads, were inflicted on me and others who live here and appreciate and respect what we have do you think that we would accept it and stand for it?

NOT for one cotton picking minute.

Would I and others accept the pooification (moderators note: now you are making words up BB..stop it) and be responsible for sorting out your problem?

NOT for one cotton picking minute.

The Local Authority here would be contacting every institution responsible it could demanding answers and demanding a solution was found and fast. If not then the route would be closed to those that defecated, defiled and disrespected this area. That is if the residents and people who lived here hadn't taken matters in there own hands first.

If you poop, pick it up and that goes for all the other paraphernalia associated with your walk.

 

[joanonalark]

Hello to all who chimed in on this post. Wow -- great thoughts and ideas. I love the sign about "Why are you littering?" Let's keep the conversation alive and spread the ideas and encouragement to all Pilgrims -- present and future. A Clean Camino is a worthy spiritual endeavor.

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

How lucky! I must have the mentality of the herd, because on the CF, whenever I went off the trail to urinate, I found that many others had been there before me. The CP was better, but it was only on some of the less travelled caminos this year that I didn't see toilet paper every time I stopped.

Women & others who squat to pee, be bold & use a Stand To Pee device. They are discreet & can eliminate the paper trail. I just returned from the Camino Frances & loved using the pStyle. It is designed to also wipe - no Kula cloth or toilet paper needed.

 

[Smash123]

In the USA I bought compostable dog-poop bags and use those to carry my used paper. I also use them for untimely feces (double bag if necessary). I made space in the top of my pack to carry the used bag and then watch for a disposal bin. It’s worked very well!

Did the same. I have dogs, so I just bunged a roll of poop bags into my pack, with a 1/4 roll of TP (squished flat). I would use the bags to pick up paper (banana skins, other pilgrim garbage) I would see on the trail as well as my own TP, and empty them into a bin. If they got gross, I would just toss the whole bag. A roll of 15 lasted me the 37 days.

 

[hotelmedicis]

When I walked the Camino Frances in 2001 there was no toilet paper on the trail. I walked again in 2017 and the entire length of the Camino was like an open sewer with piles of poo and toilet paper in the bushes and under trees. Every good bush I saw to have a poo had already welcomed scores of others and they left their poo and their paper on the ground.

I also passed a women peeing standing up using one of those gadgets that they hold to their bodies to allow the urine to run off into the air.

 

[Smash123]

How about everyone who reads Ivar's posts resolves to pick up the equivalent of one large bag of litter. I'm going to take a small pair of tongs and, as a contribution to the Camino, pick up litter. Maybe over days, maybe one big day, not sure yet. Let's all do that maybe? Let's do it as a tribute to John Brierley

When I went in April/May, I picked up all the Pilgrim garbage I saw for three of the five weeks. It wasn’t a lot, I didn’t search off trail for garbage, but I certainly left the trail cleaner - that’s my principle for any hiking I do. Rather than set a difficult goal, just vow to leave it cleaner than when you arrived.

 

[debigetsout]

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

These pee cloths are great. I don't intend to promote a specific company, as there are a number out there. They can be easily ordered online. Now to get everyone to use them....

Kula Cloth - The Original Antimicrobial Pee Cloth

Kula Cloth is a small gear company in Washington that makes an antimicrobial pee cloth for backpacking, camping, hiking, travel and all of life's adventures.

kulacloth.com

 

[KariC]

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

Hear, hear!!! We pick up after our dogs on walks all the time - just pack a bunch of poop bags, and be a respectful visitor to those beautiful countries!

 

[joanonalark]

You can also use a stand to pee device like the pStyle - no TP required! They are super discreet (pulling down pants not required), and allow you to remain standing - in addition to wiping you on the way out!

 

[howardd5]

These pee cloths are great. I don't intend to promote a specific company, as there are a number out there. They can be easily ordered online. Now to get everyone to use them....

Kula Cloth - The Original Antimicrobial Pee Cloth

Kula Cloth is a small gear company in Washington that makes an antimicrobial pee cloth for backpacking, camping, hiking, travel and all of life's adventures.

kulacloth.com

​

If you go into the forest to Pee , it’s not too different than other people doing the same thing

 

[debigetsout]

If you go into the forest to Pee , it’s not too different than other people doing the same thing

It is not so much urine that is the problem as the mounds of unsightly toilet paper. The cloths are reusable, not disposable, so they eliminate the TP problem.

 

[howardd5]

I just returned from a lovely camino walk on the Portuguese coast route. I cannot believe all the toilet paper in the bushes. Please lovely pilgrims, put used toilet paper in a baggie and dispose of it when you pass a trash can. It is disgusting to duck into the forest to have a pee and find the ground littered with used TP. Thanks

There is a type of TP made for RVs and campers that dissolves easily and quickly in water and if used could minimize the problems as it rains

 

[Anniesantiago]

Maybe this is very applicable for those who do such things.

View attachment 149507

I'd love to see these signs posted all along the Camino!

 

[Anniesantiago]

As toilet paper is being deposited, all that’s missing is a plastic trowel in your pack to bury the evidence. They are lightweight and allow you to follow the basic rule to “leave no trace”.

Sorry, but I don't believe this is the solution.
Animals will dig it up.
Rain will not dissolve it.
Digging disturbs the natural biome, especially with thousands of pilgrims digging holes.
Just do your pooping before you leave the albergue or carry a doggie bag.

And the BIGGEST problem (in my opinion) isn't poop, anyway. It is toilet paper left by WOMEN when they squat to pee. Women who would be raising Holy HELL if someone squatted in THEIR yard, peed, and left paper. I just can't wrap my head around why women think it's ok to do this.

I really think something needs to be preached in SJPP and Roncesvalles and all along the route about picking up and carrying out TP.

Not everyone can afford or will buy a Kula Cloth.
For some reason, carrying out TP makes women more squeamish than simply leaving it where they squat.

And TP isn't the worst of it.
I've seen tampons and pads and pantyliners discarded.
Men aren't doing that.
It's gross - and if I see anyone doing it, I will call them out.
It's disgusting.
It's a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

 

[Bristle Boy]

Sorry, but I don't believe this is the solution.
Animals will dig it up.
Rain will not dissolve it.
Digging disturbs the natural biome, especially with thousands of pilgrims digging holes.
Just do your pooping before you leave the albergue or carry a doggie bag.

And the BIGGEST problem (in my opinion) isn't poop, anyway. It is toilet paper left by WOMEN when they squat to pee. Women who would be raising Holy HELL if someone squatted in THEIR yard, peed, and left paper. I just can't wrap my head around why women think it's ok to do this.

I really think something needs to be preached in SJPP and Roncesvalles and all along the route about picking up and carrying out TP.

Not everyone can afford or will buy a Kula Cloth.
For some reason, carrying out TP makes women more squeamish than simply leaving it where they squat.

And TP isn't the worst of it.
I've seen tampons and pads and pantyliners discarded.
Men aren't doing that.
It's gross - and if I see anyone doing it, I will call them out.
It's disgusting.
It's a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

It's just plain dirty!

 

[Michael-FL]

Maybe this is very applicable for those who do such things.

View attachment 149507

Yep, all the above. Related, why do so many smokers think cigarette butts are not litter?