The educational nonprofit Leave No Trace teaches people about how to minimize their environmental impact when enjoying time in the outdoors. Two experts from the organization share tips for the most eco-friendly way to wash dirty dishes on a camping trip. You’ll need to use a three-bucket system for hand washing dishes. The first bucket will contain hot soapy water. The second bucket will be a hot water rinse, and the third bucket will be a cold water rinse, before you set your dishes out to dry. Once all your dishes are dry, the next step is to combine all the water from the three buckets into one bucket. Once this is complete, set a strainer atop one of the empty buckets and then pour the water over the strainer into the bucket so that all food scraps are filtered out of the water. It is a very good idea to not leave any food scraps behind at your campsite, as the waste would attract animals and would be unsightly for visitors who come to camp after you. Your strained food scraps should be put in the trash and carried out of camp with you. The remaining liquid is now gray water, which can now be broadcasted, or poured out, away from your campsite. Now your dirty dishes are clean and you’ve been kind to the earth to boot!
