How To Make Your Camping Trip More Sustainable This Summer

Footprint Writer Annalise takes in views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Few things in this world are more wonderful than immersing yourself in nature through the form of camping. If you grew up with family camping trips, consider yourself lucky. My parents were never big on camping, so it wasn’t until my 20s that I went camping for the first time. Before my experience, I had the illusion that camping was one of the most eco-friendly accommodations for traveling.  However, this idea dissipated after tent camping in Cosby, Tennessee, at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was shocked to learn camping is not as sustainable as I thought and that campers can produce a lot of waste. As part of my camping experience at the Great Smoky Mountains, I reflected on how we can prepare ourselves to be more sustainable while enjoying the outdoors. Hopefully, these suggestions will help readers plan their next camping trip more consciously and keep sustainability in mind throughout their experience 

Stop With the Food Hauls

Yes, I am guilty of this one too. On most camping trips, this idea exists that civilization is far away, and there is limited to zero access to a grocery store. Unless you are backpacking through the wilderness, it’s more than likely that you will find a grocery or convenience store. On my camping trip, I stocked up on snacks and food before leaving my home state of Florida. I spent a lot of money on food and ice to keep perishable items cold during the trip and while I was on the campsite. However, I had to travel back to Florida with nearly 25% of the food items I purchased; It’s three weeks later, and I'm still snacking on food bought for the camping trip. 

Had I thought realistically about what my camping trip would consist of in addition to my eating habits, I would have saved money on food which could have gone toward other expenses like gas and park entrance fees. For instance, If you are planning on roughing it in the wilderness, pack accordingly, but if you are planning to leave the campsite and venture into town, I recommend purchasing meals only for the days you are eating on the campground. That way, you can minimize food costs and reduce the amount of food waste thrown out at the end of your trip.

Pack Reusable Cooking and Eating Utensils

I know it seems easier to just toss out plates and silverware at the end of each meal when camping, but reusable cooking utensils and reusable plates can make a huge difference.

Although I lugged my cast iron skillet from Florida to assist with cooking on the campfire, I also bought a reusable dish, utensils, and cup set for two people at Walmart and it was a game-changer. Instead of throwing them away, I washed all dishes at the end of each meal and saved over a dozen paper plates and plastic utensil sets from entering the landfill. I can’t count the number of plastic forks I picked up at empty neighboring campsites that were left behind by previous campers. 

Nearly 40,000,000,000 plastic utensils are thrown out annually. For camping purposes, this number can be dramatically reduced by having reusable cutlery and dishes, especially when staying outdoors for an extended time. |Basic campgrounds provide a sink or water source for dishwashing. Note that it’s handy to invest in biodegradable soap like Campsuds to wash dishes in places where the water returns to natural sources. 

Scavenge For Firewood

I don’t know if this is the same for other campsites around the world, but at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the firewood market is hot (pun intended). Although it might be easy to pick up a pack of firewood from the store, I urge you to consider hunting for wood, especially if you are camping in a wooded area. Yes, buying firewood is easy. I did it myself the first night I went camping, but most of the time, firewood bundles can come wrapped in plastic net bags. These plastic net bags are not reusable and must be thrown away if you don’t leave them strewn around their campsite- which I saw several times. 

Why spend money on firewood when it is plentiful- in most cases- around the campsite? I suggest purchasing a hatchet or machete before camping- as they are often sold out near campgrounds (according to my experience)- to assist in breaking up large firewood logs.  Foraging for firewood saves money and reduces the amount of firewood-related waste that ends up in landfills. It’s necessary to check the rules and regulations of the campsite or park you are staying in to ensure you are legally allowed to collect firewood around your area. Here is a guide on how to collect firewood safely and responsibly while you are camping.

4. Never underestimate the destructive nature of food waste on campsites

Please do not throw compostable food waste around your campground! I know it seems like a valiant thing to do, throwing an apple core or banana peel into the bushes so it can compost back into the Earth, but this can be a death sentence for some native wildlife. 

In Tennessee, I saw multiple people throw orange peels, chicken bones, apple cores, etc. around their campsites. I also saw countless signs posted around the campground that warned Black Bears, which live in and around the national park, can smell food waste and track food waste to the campsite. Bears on campgrounds do not go over well, the majority of sightings are a public nuisance, and some interactions can be deadly and end in euthanizing bears. The “please do not feed the wildlife” doctrine is commonplace in natural areas and parks around the world. Complying with this rule means campers must discard organic waste responsibly to prevent wildlife from finding it; throwing food scraps into a campfire is irresponsible and off-limits. 

If you want to compost food scraps, I recommend bringing a sealed bag or a bin to collect scraps and other trash if there are no wildlife-proof trash cans at your campsite. Leave these sealed bags in a locked car if you are camping. It's not ideal to leave food in your car, but sometimes that’s the most secure spot. If you don’t want to carry sealed bags of food waste, and there is a wildlife-proof dumpster near you, the most responsible action would be to throw the organic waste with inorganic. Under certain circumstances, especially when it’s nomadic camping or you are an inexperienced camper. 

Camping is a rewarding experience and even more meaningful when done responsibly. Whether it is your first time camping or you’re an experienced outdoors person, I encourage you to think about how you can make camping more sustainable, finding ways to ensure that you and the environment around you are taken care of.