Cleaning Up After Camp Meals: Dishes and Trash

Dinner is over. The plates are sticky, a pan has egg on it, a bag holds a pile of scraps, and there is no kitchen sink. For a family of three at a drive-up campground, the cleanup can feel bigger than the cooking. Done badly, it also pulls animals toward your site, pollutes nearby water or breaks a campground rule.

Cleanup sits where three topics meet: food safety, wildlife and Leave No Trace. The method is simple, but one part changes by place: where the dishwater goes. Some campgrounds want it poured down a drain. In other places it is strained and scattered away from water. This guide covers the wash routine, the two disposal approaches, and how to handle trash and scraps.

Clean up right after the meal

The National Park Service says to clean up right after meals to deter insects and animals, and its bear safety page says to wash dirty dishes right away. Work in this order:

1. Scrape plates and pans into a trash bag.
2. Put away food and the cooler by the campground’s storage rule; see food storage at the campsite.
3. Wash and rinse dishes.
4. Wipe the table and check the ground around it.
5. Wash your hands.

For hands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says to wash with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, and to bring disposable wipes if there is no running water. It also advises finding out whether your campsite has clean water. If not, bring your own, as planned in camping meal planning.

Set up a three-bin wash

The National Park Service describes a three-basin setup: wash, rinse and sanitize. Its gear list includes biodegradable soap, a scouring pad, and paper towels or rags. Leave No Trace describes a similar four-bucket system that adds a first cold rinse, where most food scraps end up.

You can carry the bins in the car and use a camp-kitchen layout from camp kitchen setup. Where bleach water goes is not covered by those pages, so ask the camp host.

Where the dishwater goes

Rules differ sharply, so read the posted sign or ask the camp host. The official pages show two very different approaches.

The two handouts above are examples, not national rules. Another campground may set a different rule. The thing they share is the strainer. Strain out food either way, and put the solids in the trash.

Do not wash dishes in a stream or lake. Leave No Trace says that dirty dishwater and soap can pollute rivers, lakes and streams, which is why it asks you to wash away from water sources.

Scraps, trash and smells

Food scraps and trash are food as far as wildlife is concerned. The National Park Service says to inspect your campsite, food preparation area and rest areas for trash or spilled food, and to pack out all trash, leftover food and litter. Its bear page says not to burn excess food, tea bags or coffee grounds, because campfires usually are not hot enough to burn them completely.

• Keep trash in a bag with the food, or use the bins the campground provides. At Zion, the handout says garbage should be secured like food or placed in the receptacles provided.
• Sort recyclables if the campground has bins. The Shenandoah guide asks campers to sort trash and recyclables.
• Read pack it in, pack it out for the full picture of what leaves camp with you.
• If an animal approaches your site, see wildlife at the campsite.

Clean the gear too

Dishes are not the only thing that smells like food. The Zion handout says coolers, dirty stoves, grills, and non-disposable tableware and cookware must be washed or stored the way food is. Wash them, or store them the way you store food, depending on the campground rule. How to clean, dry and store camping gear covers what to do when you get home.

Common mistakes

• Leaving dishes out overnight. Wash them right away.
• Washing at the restroom sink. Some campgrounds prohibit it.
• Dumping dishwater near a stream or lake. Stay 200 feet (about 70 big steps) away.
• Skipping the strainer. Food particles belong in the trash, not in a drain or on the ground.
• Using lots of soap. Use small amounts.
• Burning scraps. Partly burned food still attracts wildlife.
• Storing damp dishes. Let them air dry first.
• Forgetting the stove, grill and cooler. They count too.

Frequently asked questions

Can you wash dishes in the campground bathroom?

Often not. Two National Park Service campground handouts say to wash at your campsite and not in restrooms or at public faucets. Check the rules where you camp.

How far from water should you wash dishes?

Where there are no facilities, Leave No Trace says 200 feet (about 70 big steps) from water sources.

What should you do with food scraps?

Put them in the trash and pack them out, or use the campground’s bins. Do not pour them down a drain and do not burn them.

Do you need soap?

Use a small amount of biodegradable soap, as Leave No Trace advises, and follow the three-step wash.

Next step: build a cleanup kit

List bins, a strainer, soap, trash bags and a towel in the Pitch & Pack Planner. Then walk through the whole camp day routine so cleanup has a set time.