Leaving Your Campsite Clean: The Good Camper’s Guide

A good camper is recognized by what they leave behind: nothing. When you go, the site should be as clean as when you arrived, or even cleaner. The steps are simple and take ten minutes.

The golden rule: everything you bring leaves with you

Bags, bottles, packaging, leftover food, cigarette butts, bits of string: everything. In the wild, there is no waste collection. Bring two large trash bags (one for waste, one for recyclables) and a small bag for wet or smelly waste.

Before you go: the 10-minute sweep

1. Trash: gather everything in tightly closed bags and put them in the trunk, not on the roof or hung from a tree.
2. Hands-and-knees pickup: walk around your pitch and pick up the small items too (bottle caps, threads, tabs, cigarette butts), even those that aren’t yours.
3. Dishes: wash them away from any stream, with a biodegradable product, and spread the dirty water far from plants and water sources.
4. Fire and stove: if a fire is allowed (see the camping rules), put it out with water, stir the embers and check that they are cold to the touch. Let a gas stove cool down before packing it away.
5. Toilets: dig a small hole away from the site and far from water, take used paper out in a sealed bag, and use the campsite toilets when there are any.
6. Tent and parts: remove all pegs, guy lines and stakes, and shake out the fabric away from the site.

Cooking and eating without leaving a trace

• Plan meals ahead to limit packaging: transfer food into reusable containers before you leave.
• Never throw leftovers into nature, even « biodegradable » ones: they attract stray dogs, rodents and insects.
• Use a stove rather than a fire: no ashes, no fire risk, less cleaning up.
• Keep used cooking oil in a closed bottle and take it back with you.

Why it matters

• Waste attracts stray dogs and wild animals.
• Plastic packaging takes a very long time to break down.
• A clean site stays open: dirty places are the ones that end up banned.
• Owners, municipalities and other campers will thank you.

Our tip

Make it a game: take a photo when you arrive and another when you leave. The site should look identical. And if you come across trash left by others, pick up a few pieces: it’s the finest gesture a camper can make.