As an avid hiker I have, in the past, been guilty of slinging the odd banana skin or apple core into the bush as they are biodegradable.
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]But, over the years, I have become more aware of the damage this can do. I have adopted the internationally accepted seven principles of leave no trace, in an attempt to keep nature beautiful.
One of these is to dispose of waste properly.
I researched how long it takes for rubbish to decompose – an apple core takes eight weeks; orange peel and banana skins two years; a plastic bag 20 years; cigarette butt 18 months to 500 years; plastic bottle 450 years and chewing gum, 1 million years.
Everything taken in should be taken out.
Burning or burying rubbish attracts feral animals and will put native animals at risk.
Human waste also needs to be disposed of properly. Sometimes the call of nature comes while exploring the bush and a quick stop is needed. Best practice is to dig a 20cm deep hole away from water sources, campsites and trails.
Buried toilet paper doesn’t decompose quickly, so take it with you in a resealable bag; or take the whole lot out in a suitable container.
Rubbish in our national parks damages the environment and our economy, as tourists will not visit untidy parks. If we all do our bit everyone can continue to enjoy our beautiful natural environment.
Gloucester Environment Group’s next bushwalk is on Saturday, October 20, in Myall Lakes National Park. Contact Joost Werz if you need information on 0404 022 708 or joost.werz@bigpond.com.