Welcome to Ask an Outsider. We are here to answer your most pressing questions about enjoying time outside, like how to make outdoorsy friends, whether you can hike in jeans or how to reconcile a different risk tolerance with a partner. Our advice givers are experts from both inside and outside REI Co-op who draw from their own experience and knowledge to help inform yours.
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Dear Outsider,
I’ve been noticing a pretty nasty problem on my local hiking trails. It seems like there’s more used toilet paper than there used to be. It’s pretty gross. In the past, Leave No Trace experts recommended digging a cat hole to help your poop break down, but seeing these wads of tissue paper around, I can’t help but wonder if the practice of burying our poop is archaic. Or are people who are leaving tissue behind simply doing it wrong?
I’ve never caught anyone in the act of leaving paper waste or … other things on the side of the trail, so I’m not sure how to broach the topic. Should I stop strangers on their hike to give them a mini lecture on the power of poop or let buried turds lie? Asking for a friend.
Leave No Tracy, REI Co-op Member since 2015
Hi Leave No Tracy,
Thanks for your sticky question. You’re right: The practice is supposed to facilitate the breakdown of our waste by enthusiastic bacteria and other organisms in the soil. Determining when—or if—you should bury your poop in the backcountry can be complicated. And, unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.
The discarded paper you’re noticing could be caused by several different things, including improper waste burial and animal digging or rooting. Some hikers underestimate the depth their cat holes should be: The general recommendation is 6 to 8 inches in depth and 4 to 6 inches in diameter—and not just because those measurements make a nice hole. It’s so your waste is adequately exposed to the microbial life that will break it down. (Remember: Even if you’re using toilet paper labeled “biodegradable,” you’ll want to be sure it’s buried deep in your cat hole or that you can pack it out with your other camp waste.)
Another reality is that many hikers use toilet paper after urinating, too. A good way to reduce the impact of this usage is by packing a reusable cloth like a bandana or a reusable pee cloth like the antimicrobial Kula Cloth, which has antimicrobial properties.
Across much of the United States, hikers can generally still bury their waste unless they’re traveling in very popular places, like national and state parks. But factors like environment, popularity, and soil type can help determine whether or not the time-tested practice of burying poop is still the best option.
We sat down with Jay P. Graham, an REI Co-op Member since 1997 and associate professor in residence at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, to learn more about proper poop disposal and why it matters.
Other animals poop outside. Why can’t we?
Since animals defecate outside—even in the places we like to recreate—hikers might assume their poop has minimal impact, but we’re not like other animals. We eat junk food regularly, take medications, drink coffee. We also tend to repeatedly visit the same camping and hiking spots, which affects the distribution of human poop in those locations. Human waste also contains pathogens like bacteria, viruses and parasites that can be harmful to local plants and animals.
“I think there’s a lot of things humans are consuming. You think about just the amount of caffeine or antidepressants: All that stuff can end up in our excreta,” Graham explains. Some pathogens can remain present in human waste for about a year, according to Graham, and can have significant impact on the natural environment. Remnants of medications we’ve taken can end up in our waste, which can expose animals to things like ibuprofen that may alter animal foraging, mating and predator avoidance behaviors.
What qualifies as human waste?
Stumbling across fecal matter in the backcountry can be really jolting, but human urine also causes environmental disruption. While human urine is mostly sterile, lacking the pathogens and bacteria that solid human waste contains, Graham says that urination into the local watershed can cause eutrophication: the overgrowth of underwater plant life due to high amounts of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. This may set off a chain reaction that can eventually kill large groups of fish. In fact, about three-quarters of nutrient pollution from human waste actually comes from urine, according to Graham.
In short: Yes, worry about poop on the trail, but don’t forget to consider the environmental impacts your urine has as well. Make sure to walk at least 200 feet away from any water sources before urinating, since this may help to reduce the eutrophication process. Additionally, according to nonprofit outdoor-awareness organization Leave No Trace, some wildlife can be attracted to the salt found in human urine: To discourage animals, you can urinate on rocks, gravel or pine needles, or dilute your urine with water.
So, can I still bury my poop in the backcountry?
Officials have begun to shift their mindset around human waste management, especially in busier state and national parks and in certain environments, while other resources provide less definitive answers about burying poop in the backcountry and on public lands.
Since the rules of human waste management vary by environment, the best way to determine whether or not to bury your waste should be left to the local land managers. Head to a local visitor center or chat with a regional ranger in the area you’re planning to visit to learn more about best practices.
Accelerating the decomposition process
Hikers who bury their waste can help create the right conditions to contribute to waste decomposition. Graham suggests breaking up solids with a stick in the cat hole to allow soil bacteria to dominate more surface area. “[Modern human waste] pathogens are not designed to live in the soil. So, you should get soil bacteria mixed in, and then it’s going to break down a lot faster.”
Another factor that contributes to better human waste management practices is keeping the bigger picture in mind. “There’s this belief that my individual poop is insignificant,” Graham says, but “these small impacts add up.” Remember that you’re not the only one nature calls!
Graham agrees that education is essential when supporting the trails we love. Having conversations with trail friends might offer a good place to start. Another strategy might involve working with your local trail organizers to set up stations in popular places to distribute WAG bags. (WAG stands for the Waste Alleviating Gel contained in these leakproof, sealable receptacles. The gel solidifies and deodorizes human waste, somewhat similarly to how cat litter works.) After all, the less poop on trail, the better.
Hopefully this gives you a better idea about the role we play in the outdoors and why proper human waste disposal matters. To learn even more, read How to Go to the Bathroom in the Woods and shop our list of Essential Hiking and Backpacking Bathroom Gear.
Until next time! Happy trails.
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About the Expert
Jay Graham is an associate professor in residence at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. His research applies molecular genetic approaches to study the emergence, transmission and maintenance of pathogens and antibiotic resistance in community settings by incorporating molecular data into population-level analyses. His research is also focused on understanding the genetic mechanisms that enable the spread of antibiotic resistance in both human and animal bacterial populations.