Tips for waste-free tramping
Tramping is a favourite pastime for many Kiwis, and it usually involves lugging a bag of plastic waste out of the bush after several days off the grid.
For Amanda Chapman, tramping without generating rubbish was a challenge she took on after taking part in Plastic Free July a few years ago.
Since then, Auckland-based Chapman has blogged about her low-waste journey, sharing her efforts to live more sustainably.
‘‘Tramping is definitely one of the areas where you unfortunately produce waste,’’ she said. ‘‘There is quite an irony to it as well – you are going out into nature, and you have to rely on plastic.’’
Convenience was a huge issue, she said. Many snacks or easy-toeat meals were packaged in plastic.
‘‘You want something that is quick and easy to grab out of your pack but is also lightweight. You don’t want to be carrying a glass jar of peanut butter – although I do have a friend who does that.’’
Chapman said preparation before heading off on a tramping trip was key. It was the main barrier for many trampers when it came to reducing waste – but the tradeoff was not having to carry a stinky bag of rubbish out of the bush.
When she walked the Heaphy Track, her meals included pasta and grains, cheese that came covered in wax instead of plastic, and snacks like apples and hardboiled eggs, she said.
‘‘At the end, I had a small Ziploc bag of compostable waste and I had a small bag of soft plastics. That was really it.’’
One of her favourite meals while tramping used to be nachos, she said, but she steered clear of it now because the corn chips came in a plastic bag.
■ Buy food in bulk, or in compostable packaging.
■ Wrap fresh food in beeswax wraps – it helps to keep food fresher for longer.
■ Wash and reuse resealable plastic bags.
■ Invest in a stainless steel water bottle and a water reservoir to avoid single-use water bottles.
■ Buy cheese wrapped in wax – the wax makes an excellent fire starter. ■ Reuse paper bags to carry food – these also double as fire starters.
■ Keep food scraps in a bag to compost when you get home.
■ Make your own snacks – mix nuts and dried fruit for scroggin, bake biscuits, make hummus, dehydrate fruit and vegetables.
Chocolate was another favourite snack while in the wilderness, but Chapman said most brands used plastic-coated foil that
couldn’t be recycled. She chose Trade Aid-branded chocolate because it came in homecompostable packaging.