How do you all handle trash?

Following our maiden voyage, we found one thing to be a persistent issue which we have no good solution for... and that is handling the trash.

When we are at home we generate very little trash, mostly because we compost and recycle and don't buy many packaged foods.  In our RV we generated a tremendous amount of trash because we were using packaged snacks and foods that store more easily, and because we were constantly purchasing new things that we found we'd need for the RV, and because it just isn't practical to carry around separate containers for compost or recycling (taking up room and burning fuel to drag it around with us).

We can't afford any space in our kitchenette for a trash can; in fact the only space we found in the RV for a small can was behind the toilet.  We ended up hanging plastic shopping bags off the backs of our seats and filling them up with trash quickly, then tying them off and storing them on the steps by the door until we could throw them out.  It was always in the way and our kids kept knocking the bags as they passed them spilling the contents, etc.  It just didn't work very well.

We have a smallish storage compartment in the basement area just below and behind the rear seat which we haven't really made much use of, and I'd considered cutting a hole through the floor to put a garbage chute in place and putting a basket in there for trash, but I would rather not do anything so drastic.

When we were camped we did not want to put a trash bag or can outside the RV because we had been warned that raccoons can be a real problem, so we would keep the trash in the RV with us until morning when we would carry it to the dumpster.

How does everyone handle their trash, whether on the road or while camped?  It seems to me that some of you must have a better system in place.

We have a standard 13 gallon kitchen garbage can with bag inserts.  We rarely fill it up during the week, especially when we're in a park with recycling, such as our summer location or our lot in TX.

The "new package" trash will reduce itself over time as you get your RV more stocked with stuff that stays in there.  Otherwise plastic shopping bags are great for camping - they can fill up quickly but are easy to tie off and throw in a larger container outside if needed.  We also use a "low profile" trash can in our kitchen/dinette area.  I  just walk the bags to the CG dumpster or other public trash receptacles (many stores like Wal-mart have trash cans scattered throughout the parking lot) as needed. 

Is there any reason you feel like you have to wait until the next morning to dump trash?  If you do leave it outside, you MUST use a latchable container of some kind or racoons will certainly spread out your garbage all over the campsite by morning (speaking from experience).  :  I wouldn't recommend using an underbody compartment for trash, as it won't take long for it to adopt that special odor and would probably be impossible to get rid of later.

Are camping in places that do not have dumpsters?  Or at least garbage cans for your trash.

If you are towing a vehicle you could put it in the trunk but that could get smelly after a while.

We've never run across this problem.  We have a 13 gallon trash can sitting under the sink in a cabinet.  We dump it probably every 3-4 days.

Marsha~

We have about a ten gallon sized can that we use 13 gal bags in.  Whenever we stop and there is a trash can available we dump it, even if it's only a small amount.  So every gas station, rest area, restaurant, and grocery store we stop at takes some of our trash in return for our spending money there.  When we're camping we dump it once a day at the campground dumpster.  The key is to not let it build up to the point where it becomes a problem.

As othes have mentioned, we keep a plastic kitchen trash can with plastic bag near the front seats of our small mh and just walk it to the campground dumpster once every couple of days. Also while on the road in California you are allowed to deposit trash bags in the cans at rest stops, and I would guess that's probably true for other states as well.

Thanks for all of the responses.

Our main issue is that we simply can't find room for a 13 gallon trash receptacle.  The kitchenette has enough room for one person to stand in, and a can would take up that space.  There is no space to put one under our sink because there are pull-out drawers there.Anyplace else we can think of would be right in the flow of foot traffic.

The campground we were at had a dumpster but it was a bit of a walk to get there, so we didn't want to do it more than once per day.  With 3 kids it seems like we just had a lot of issues with trash despite dumping it every time we stopped for gas, etc.

You are probably correct that our needs will diminish as we get more accustomed to RV use and our need for purchasing unplanned equipment and supplies on the road is filled.

I would prefer to have a better long-term solution than plastic bags tied to the back of the seats or an inconveniently placed can that people must stumble over getting to and from the cab area.

You might try putting a 13 gallon trash can with plastic bag liner in the shower.  It would be out of the way, but would have to be moved when the shower was in use.

Margi

When we got our Monaco motorhome it came with a Rubbermaid-style trash holder on the inside of the kitchen cabinet door under the sink.  I use Small size garbage bags in it and it works quite well for smaller trash and garbage items.  I tend to have another grocery-store style plastic bag (one with no holes!) that I hook on a nearby drawer pull and use that for larger items like cans, bottles, and paper that might be recycled.  Yes, it does sometimes get in the way - which usually is my clue that it needs to be discarded!  When these fill and we're not close to a dumpster I put them into a larger Glad trash bag that ties and it gets stored in front of the driver's seat until we can dispose of it.  That assumes we're parked of course.  I also have two other small plastic wastebaskets.  One stands on the floor in the corner of the toilet room and another fits on a shelf in a lower cabinet of the bathroom vanity area.  We generally discard trash every morning, but it depends on the circumstances.  And, if we're doing something like a potluck and I have more trash than usual we find the dumpster earlier.

I agree that storing it in an enclosed area such as an underbay or the toad might cause odors you don't want.  If you're really careful and always tie off any bag with food scraps you shouldn't have odor problems.  Also if you have water available rinse out any cans or jars which also helps avoid odors.

ArdraF

I store leftover food scraps and cooking grease in my freezer until they go out with the trash.  Food scraps go into a sealable freezer bag.  Cooking grease goes into an old soup or bean can and solidifies within a couple of minutes so there's no danger of it splashing out while traveling.  I also wash out cans and bottles with soap and water before putting them in the trash.  Using soap means you use less water to get the waste out of the can.

The waste in the freezer takes minimal space and doing this along with the washing the cans eliminates odors even if I don't take out the trash every day.

Hmmm.  Lou, I wonder if you could convince Jerry to replace his beer mugs in the freezer with trash!?!  : ;D  Just wondering.

ArdraF

Try to remove extra packaging ahead of time when packing up the RV. 

The idea of the trashcan in the shower tend to work well for many people.

My co-worker keeps a small trashcan under the sink but has a larger trashcan outside the trailer.  She will empty the inside trash into the outside can throughout the day.  She also keep the outside can empty overnight. 

I camp solo so I can get by with a small trashcan with using the heavier shopping bags as liners.  I don't like to keep old trash in it overnight so I will take out the trash after dinner.  Now that my RV shopping is pretty much done the extra bags and cardboard problem is gone.

My trailer came with a 1 gallon "rack sack" system installed inside the cupboard door below the kitchen sink.  While it does not hold as much as a 13 gallon tall kitchen container it does hold more than 1 gallon and works for us.  To be sure we have to empty the trash 1-2 times a day but it's never been a problem for us.

The rack sack system is well thought out and inexpensive.

We must be trashy people, because we dump at least a small bag every day. We often use plastic grocery bags but also have a 10 gallon trash can (we have space for it in the hall by the shower). Dumping the more trash frequently is one of the cultural differences of RVing that you will just have to get used to.

I think the idea of a container in the shower is a good one; we'll probably give that a try.  We will probably still need to empty it often enough that I'm not too worried about odors getting bad.  When we take showers we can move it somewhere else; usually we try to shower somewhere other than the RV anyway, so the shower is wasted space much of the time (except when we have wet clothes hanging to dry in it).

So far our freezer is has been pretty tightly packed, but I like the idea of using Ziplock-type baggies to hold potentially smelly garbage until it can be thrown out.

I have a super simple method... I haul out the garbage every chance I get, even just a small grocery bag at a time.  I live in a small Class C where space is at a  premium.

I found room in my 28 foot Class C for 3 small trash cans, that each  use the endless small grocery bags as liners. (Take a grocery bag with you and measurements for the area you want to keep you little can in when you shop for your little trash containers.)  Every chance I get, I dump my garbage.  Sometimes 2-3-4 times a day.

I have one little rectangle can in the bathroom, one little round one inside the kitchen cabinet, one "floater" that is a short squat basket (won't tip over) that is typically under my table/desk.  Like I say, all 3 are small.  When I am driving, that floater is moved within arm's reach of the driver. 

I use 2-3 empty kleenex boxes to stash all the endless (empty) grocery bags in.  A square kleenex box holds an amazing amount of bags and stores  neatly in a cabinet near where the small garbage cans are.

If I see a trash can or dump, all my garbage goes out the door.  Even at a gas station, while waiting for the gas to finish pumping, I often leave a small grocery bag of garbage in their big can. I certainly would never dream of leaving a 55 gallon bag of garbage there... 

That is the beauty of using ONLY SMALL BAGS in an RV, it's easier to get rid of every chance you get.

I try to recycle when I can, but I just don't have the room to store garbage, besides the 3 little cans. 

I've been carrying around some big garbage bags for nearly 2 years, but I've never once needed them. I keep the garbage out the door and in the campground dump or a public garbage can just as often as I can.

If you have kids that can do chores, make it their job to keep the trash hauled out every chance a grocery bag looks the least bit semi-full.

My puppy get super excited when I grab a small trash bag to carry out, he knows we're going for a walk!  Sometimes when we go for a walk without garbage, he instinctively heads for the camground dumpster anyhow.

I was in a campground that picked up your garbage every day at 5pm in their pickup truck. I asked them where I could put my garbage, rather than wait until 5pm, they told me to pile it in their pickup truck, parked behind the office. I never had anything out at 5pm, because I had already walked my little bags out throughout the day.

I don't wait for them to be full, if I am traveling and see a public garbage can, I might combine all three of my little bags into one little one, just to drop it off and start with fresh empty bags again.

Besides, all that walking to the dumpster is good for you (and/or keeps the kids out of your hair for a few minutes). ;D

One more note...

I re-use coffee cans, the big ones are better but the little ones work too. Anyhow, the coffee cans have snap on lids, so I use them as my outdoor picnic table top garbage container.  (I tend to hang outside a lot and eat outdoors when I can. )

I stuff paper napkins in the coffee can, bottle tops, bits of garbage the past tenants left on my camp spot, cigarette butts, candy wrappers  and so on.  The plastic lid keeps the little bits of garbage from blowing away while outside.

Sometimes I empty the coffee can into a grocery bag when I am going out the door with garbage and reuse the can until I have new empty one, then I toss out the old can, start with a new one.

This sure comes in handy too, when I am checking the oil or brake fluid and suddenly have a greasy paper towel to dispose of, that little coffee can outside sure is handy to pop that into.

Many sewer dump station do not have a garbage can handy, but I keep a little coffee can and paper towels in the outside locker with the rubber gloves. When I am dumping sewer, if anything goes wrong and  I need papertowels, they are handy, and the coffee can will store the dirty ones securely. 

These are great for saving space inside the RV...

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-43961-Wall-Mount-Trash-Can/dp/B001D8XA50



Also, you could get one of these and keep it outside (store empty in shower for travel) if animals truly are that much of a problem...
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/SearchResults.aspx?SimpleSearchValue=animal+stopper+can

In our friendship there is room by the wet bar / washer dryer microwave area for a popup trash can, I use 39 gallon black sacks, in it, I should buy the smaller ones from Sam's Club, but we use the 39's at home in the stick built and rather than buy two lots I buy a single box and put 1 roll in the house and 1 in the RV. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pop-Up-Trash-Bin/14562243

We are lucky in having the space on that corner of the hall for the trash can, there is a small trash can next to the drivers seat, another under the dinette, one in the bathroom and a last in the bedroom, we use either grocery store bags or glad bags in them all, and dump trash as often as needed.

Unless in a place that encourages dumping all your trash, I'd always prefer to dump lots of little bags rather than swamping a single trash can with a week of trash in a 39 gallon bag, so I'll carry trash until there is a suitable place to get rid of it all.

One of the things that helps over time is to get all the Rubermaid / Tupperware containers in all of the sizes, fill them before you leave on a trip, keep them in a system, so they will be easy to find, use and refill.

It took us about 3 weeks of traveling before we narrowed down the wants, to the needs, there are snacks and extra's in some places not in others.

One of the added things we use all the time on our MH are ball bungees http://www.walmart.com/ip/Grip-28022-6-Inch-Ball-Bungee-Cords/15041388 most cabinets on the MH have left and right hand doors, I lock the two together with one of the bungees, (on each cabinet), saves loosing things out of the overheads, the under sink area, and under the wet bar.

I didn't read all the post, but we burn just about everything that is burnable. Hardly any trash after this is done.