zefender
Active member
For a first time transat later this year, the question of rubbish has been raised amongst the crew. For three weeks or so, we'll be consuming loads of food and wondering what to do with its associated packaging.
I feel very uncomfortable about chucking any stuff overboard environmentally - maybe OK about food perishables - but the thought of storing increasingly stinky cans, cartons etc isn't very pleasant either - and it's trickier to store than in original unopened form. I can foresee split bags all over the place as well as the problem of arriving in St. Lucia with a load of rubbish that the island probably doesn't want.
We've looked at can crushers (but somebody told me that empty cans make lovely little houses for fish to protect themselves in on the seabed). We've looked at buying those plastic water bottles that concetina when empty and considering what we buy in terms of its packaging.
So, what do/would you do?
1, Throw overboard all waste food or keep it?
2, Throw stuff like paper based products overboard or keep it?
3, What about tins, cans?
4, Plastics?
5, Wash everything in seawater before storing it to minimise the problem?
I've no idea what the St.Lucians do with rubbish but supposing they just stick on a boat and take it out to sea and dump it in shallower water than I would on the passage? Even if they do, can I walk away feeling suitably 'green' because that's not my responsibility, but theirs?
I get the feeling people don't admit they throw stuff overboard 'cos it's not very nice really. It's different on a passage of just a couple of days or so but for longer periods, rubbish becomes a bit of a problem.
I feel very uncomfortable about chucking any stuff overboard environmentally - maybe OK about food perishables - but the thought of storing increasingly stinky cans, cartons etc isn't very pleasant either - and it's trickier to store than in original unopened form. I can foresee split bags all over the place as well as the problem of arriving in St. Lucia with a load of rubbish that the island probably doesn't want.
We've looked at can crushers (but somebody told me that empty cans make lovely little houses for fish to protect themselves in on the seabed). We've looked at buying those plastic water bottles that concetina when empty and considering what we buy in terms of its packaging.
So, what do/would you do?
1, Throw overboard all waste food or keep it?
2, Throw stuff like paper based products overboard or keep it?
3, What about tins, cans?
4, Plastics?
5, Wash everything in seawater before storing it to minimise the problem?
I've no idea what the St.Lucians do with rubbish but supposing they just stick on a boat and take it out to sea and dump it in shallower water than I would on the passage? Even if they do, can I walk away feeling suitably 'green' because that's not my responsibility, but theirs?
I get the feeling people don't admit they throw stuff overboard 'cos it's not very nice really. It's different on a passage of just a couple of days or so but for longer periods, rubbish becomes a bit of a problem.