{"id":4050,"date":"2018-08-07T16:54:21","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T16:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4050"},"modified":"2018-08-07T16:54:21","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T16:54:21","slug":"on-not-leaving-a-trace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4050","title":{"rendered":"On not leaving a trace"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>A Clean Place<\/strong>\n

Tokyo is one of the cleanest cities I\u2019ve ever been in. \u00a0No plastic grocery bags blowing in the streets. \u00a0No black globs of gum on the sidewalk. \u00a0No McDonald\u2019s wrappers blowing over storm drains. \u00a0Yet I can\u2019t remember seeing any trash cans on the streets. \u00a0Domonick and I were eating a plastic-wrapped convenience store treat in the street and when it was time to toss the wrapper, we were left searching for a receptacle. \u00a0We finally gave up and I stuck the wrapper in my pocket. \u00a0The Tokyo metropolitan area is home to approximately 36 million people. \u00a0How was Tokyo so clean without a trash can in sight?<\/p>\n

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After a little digging, I discovered that most public trash cans in Tokyo were removed in 1995 after a series of sarin gas attacks in train stations. \u00a0It was thought that trash cans could hold terrorist weapons so they were eliminated. \u00a0Today, most people simply carry their trash with them until they can find a place to throw it away.<\/p>\n

A Not-So-Clean Place<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the other hand, there was plenty of litter to be seen on the later sections of the Camino del Norte in Spain. \u00a0When the Norte route meets up with the Frances route (for 20ish miles), we were inundated with trash cans every mile it seemed. \u00a0Many were overflowing. \u00a0It also appeared that some pilgrims didn\u2019t even bother using a trash can and threw their trash on the side of the trail. \u00a0Along the entire Norte route, a popular practice was leaving orange peels on the ground. \u00a0Yes, orange peels are organic matter, however, when they are resting on top of soil or cement, they won\u2019t be biodegrading anytime soon.<\/p>\n

This leads me to one of my biggest pet peeves: \u00a0Charmin Blooms.<\/p>\n

What is a Charmin Bloom you might ask? \u00a0It is people relieving themself in the woods, using toilet paper, and then leaving that toilet paper behind.<\/p>\n

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A spectacular Charmin Bloom (the length of a trekking pole) seen on the camino.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You might ask, \u201cWell, what about burying the toilet paper?\u201d. \u00a0Don\u2019t do it. \u00a0Animals dig it up. \u00a0I have witnessed this time and time again, particularly on the Pacific Crest Trail. \u00a0Between greetings of \u201cBuen Camino\u201d and \u201cBuenos Dias\u201d on the Camino, I wanted to chime in \u201cPack it in, pack it out\u201d. \u00a0Sure, I wouldn\u2019t consider most of the Camino wilderness, but the same rules still apply. \u00a0If you brought it with you, keep it until you can dispose of it properly.<\/p>\n

Keep it Clean. \u00a0This is Earth, not Uranus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These \u201crules\u201d I mention above have been succinctly listed by the national organization called \u201cLeave No Trace\u201d. \u00a0This blog post doesn\u2019t cover all of these principles, but they are important to mention. \u00a0I provide them below.<\/p>\n

Leave No Trace Seven Principles\u00a9:<\/p>\n