Trash left behind after the gathering

Ah, good discussion indeed! But for another thread.

 

yessir, back to littering...lol

 

the litter left behind is bad enough but i get pissed when i have to go into bushes to dig the shit out...if ya gotta litter at least leave it in the open and don't toss it into hard-to-access areas in an effort to hide it (it rarely works).

 

All my neighbors use a trash service. $80. for 3 months service. I recycle everything I can. Compost, sell scrap metal and aluminum cans, All I'm left with is ashes from paper and packaging. I could take it to the dump but I want to try to feed it back to the earth. My goal is zero footprint. It's not easy with kids and a materialistic 'live for the moment' son's mother. She throws cig butts all over the yard! arggg!lol

 

I cleaned up after 1992 Ocala. It was a job that shouldn't have been as huge as it was, though. The mass-exodus left us working there for at least a week. Phish was close by, so a lot of people were in a hurry. At least some of them left us a couple of buds on the way out, so we made it fun, and it gave us a big feeling of pride when we were done. We also re-seeded trails.

It's required that people stay behind to clean up, but everyone there should be making their job easier the whole time they are there, too.

 

I DID! An awesome djimbe, perfect condition, a few skirts and shirts, which I really needed, and a lot of smokable things.

 

I've never gone to a gathering but I've always thought that for my first one I'd just come in for cleanup at the end, just help out

 

Many years ago while camped at the Northport Barter Faire a loud Ford LTD blew in after dark one night. The next day Mr LTD started to set up. His stuff was all free. Mostly Tshirts and nothing of any perceived value. Each time the wind kicked up and blew through his car small bits of litter would fly out. Each time he opened or closed his car doors more bits of litter came out all over the ground. This continued for two days.

His litter was invading my space. I'm pretty laid back at BF but I had had enuf. I walked up to him with 2 huge garbage sacks offering to help him pick up all the crap that was oozing out of his POS LTD. He wasn't up for cleaning up his mess now. He wanted to wait till the BF was over then he would he told me. That wasn't good enough for me. Long story short he finally drug his sorry ass outta there after I jump started his rolling crapmobile. This encounter with the sorriest excuse for a hippie I ever saw (and I told him so) was the worst experience I ever had at a Barter Faire. I think his name was Turtle or his buddies name was Turtle. I've been fortunate since and never seen him ever again. It's people like this that ruin it for the rest of us. I always leave my campsite better than I found it. I police it 3times a day minimum. If folks litter in my camp I tell them once to knock it off. If I need to tell them twice I tell them NOT to come back. Some folks have told me that was rude. Perhaps so. My camp. My rules. You wanna litter go somewhere else. Pretty simple. Guess what? I'm a redneck. I'm conservative. I smoke dope. Go figure.atriot:

 

That's a real nice sentiment but instead of perhaps leaving with a sense of disappointment or anger at the amount of garbage left behind....

By all means attend the encampment and share in the merriment and breaking of bread. The wild dancing and drum circles if they're anything like any decent Barter Faire will more than makeup for any mess left behind. But to be on the safe side bring contractor grade trash bags. Do one better and separate out the recyclables, compostable material and dry burnable stuff. Maybe save a few bucks and maybe make a couple pesos on the cans and bottles.:sunny:

 

agreed.

why is everyone so afraid of a little work?

so fast to point the finger "s/he did it, so they can pick it up"

who cares whose fault it it,lets put it behind us and help clean it up

 

why are u posting now about the 2008 ocala gathering? especially dont preach to us when uve never actually been to a gathering. i spend literally weeks doing cleanup. and i dont get paid to do it.
love u brother, maybe u should come home and check it out firsthand. i will be there 2 help u clean up those woods!

 

All I know is I have been to several Ocala gatherings but not the 2008 one. I have been to other gatherings. National in 2004. I cannot speak for others. I know the folks I camped with and my own personal camp was cleaner and better when I left than when I got there. I left early one year and don't know how the other folks cleaned up at the end, but I know while I was there we packed out all our garbage. I practice the "leave no trace" rule and carry a small mini shovel and bury all food debris and waste if I cannot make it to a latrine. I do my best to erase all "human sign". I have no control over others, only myself. I know I regularly cleaned up after my brothers and sisters and if I saw them littering I lovingly tried to teach them better. Instead of getting on the guys case and handling things that way brother you could have gone and gotten some elder brothers and/or sisters and the group could have gone and counseled the man in peace and love. I have seen it do wonders and then you have won over a brother or a sister and they will litter no more.

 

Thanks for most of your comments. I de see that most people clean up and practice the LNT ethic.

The FS may need to think a little differently about the gatherings and give the time to let the gatherings do their clean-up. Or the people should end the gathering a day early for the clean up? Either way, I do see that you all do clean up, and that is appreciated.

This is quick and simple, I wish i could post more, but have been super busy with work with all the fires here in AZ and what not.

Take care all.

 

There will always be litter bugs