How does everyone handle trash onboard?

[merrydolphin]

Beware of third world trash service. Once I diligently kept all the trash that I could to dump ashore. Brought all the trash to the dumpster on the island. A couple of days later I was talking with the dock master. I saw the garbage barge heading out of the harbor. I asked where they were going with it. He said “oh they take it out a couple of miles and dump it”. As others have said, we dispose at sea properly all but plastic and styrofoam. Those we take to a deserted beach, dig a hole at low tide and burn it. The tide washes away the ashes. This is MUCH better than taking it all and just dumping it in the water. When we are in totally remote areas, it is the only way.

[a64pilot]

Even in the Bahamas. In Georgetown there is a Gentleman with a truck he parks right beside the store, toss a buck a bag I think in his window for each bag of trash, he even has a price to recycle gallons of oil.
As I strongly suspicioned that oil was going into the burn pile I brought mine back and St. Augustine Marina has a large container to recycle oil. It seems many Municipal Marina’s do.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

...aluminum takes many decades, if not centuries, to oxidize away....

Aluminum cans are coated with plastic. The pretty much have to be, since many beverages are nearly as corrosive as seawater.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Aluminum cans are coated with plastic. The pretty much have to be, since many beverages are nearly as corrosive as seawater.

I suppose the plastic component degrades over time and adds to the microplastic accumulation in our waters. All good reasons for most of us to not toss anything inorganic over the side.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I suppose the plastic component degrades over time and adds to the microplastic accumulation in our waters. All good reasons for most of us to not toss anything inorganic over the side.

Worse, lots of sea life mistake the plastic for something in their food chain (turtles think plastic is a jelly fish) and eat it. This can result in starvation or strangulation.

[LostBiker]

Ok - instead of a case of water bottles every week, we'll be using a gallon jug that we'll just refill. Also looking at compostable trash bags instead of plastic. Its a start and I thank you all for the tips and ideas. Looking around we found recycling places in Homer and Anchorage, so we'll be separating plastics, cans and cardboard to dispose of properly.


John

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Ok - instead of a case of water bottles every week, we'll be using a gallon jug that we'll just refill.

Very good point. Those disposable water bottles are probably the absolute worst. Totally unnecessary, and too many find their way, intentionally or not, into the ocean.

My problem is, people today refuse to drink water any other way. On my boat, we have a filter on the tap water, and assure guests it's identical to (if not better than) the filtered tap water they buy in bottles. We put it in a Tervis cup for them, with ice and a straw, to make it more tolerable. But when I run other boats in hot weather, I always have enough bottled water on board to avoid dehydration. People will literally let it get that bad before they'll stoop to drinking water out of - gasp - a cup.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

My problem is, people today refuse to drink water any other way.

Yes, it's a big part of the problem.

Already 25 years ago we had a watermaker onboard and never bought any bottled water for cruising except for a dedicated emergency supply.

We always drank the great if a little plain tasting (rum solves that ) watermaker water straight from the tank via a carbon filter

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

On my boat, we have a filter on the tap water, and assure guests it's identical to (if not better than) the filtered tap water they buy in bottles. We put it in a Tervis cup for them, with ice and a straw, to make it more tolerable. But when I run other boats in hot weather, I always have enough bottled water on board to avoid dehydration. People will literally let it get that bad before they'll stoop to drinking water out of - gasp - a cup.

When I hear complaints about local restrictions about straws I have to ask why does anyone over the age of about four need a straw? Bah.

Spills and leaks are a different deal. I've pretty well settled on a couple of solutions. For cold and ambient drinks I use Nalgene Tritan On-The-Fly bottles. With the lock ring in place you can drop kick them across the cockpit and the won't leak. For hot liquids (coffee, tea, broth) I use the Contigo West Loop that is similarly leak proof. Still looking for a solution for our Riedel stemless crystal for adult beverages to at least avoid spills. *grin*

[a64pilot]

Bottled water is ridiculous, your water tank is just a big bottle. Add a good filter and it’s cleaner than bottled water.
Every wonder why bottled water doesn’t grow “stuff”? It’s not sterilized.
It doesn’t grow stuff because it absorbs compounds from the plastic bottle that inhibits growth, so yeah, your drinking off gassing plastic compounds.

[thlamers]

We currently practice most of the previously mentioned ideas. Two boaters we have met use small wood or coal stoves aboard, mostly for heat but also for disposal of combustibles

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Bottled water is ridiculous, your water tank is just a big bottle. Add a good filter and it’s cleaner than bottled water.
Every wonder why bottled water doesn’t grow “stuff”? It’s not sterilized.
It doesn’t grow stuff because it absorbs compounds from the plastic bottle that inhibits growth, so yeah, your drinking off gassing plastic compounds.

Reputable link? I'd be interested. Otherwise....

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

Very good point. Those disposable water bottles are probably the absolute worst. Totally unnecessary, and too many find their way, intentionally or not, into the ocean.

My problem is, people today refuse to drink water any other way. On my boat, we have a filter on the tap water, and assure guests it's identical to (if not better than) the filtered tap water they buy in bottles. We put it in a Tervis cup for them, with ice and a straw, to make it more tolerable. But when I run other boats in hot weather, I always have enough bottled water on board to avoid dehydration. People will literally let it get that bad before they'll stoop to drinking water out of - gasp - a cup.

At that point, I'd be pretty tempted to keep some plastic Aquafina or Fiji water bottles onboard and fill them with the filtered water. Ha ha

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I put the old oil in the container the new oil came out of.
I’ll take off with about 5 gls of oil, as I change oil the old oil takes up the same space and fits in the same containers as the old oil, so when I come back, I come back with a few gallons of oil to dispose of.
Old oil is not a storage issue as you leave with new oil stored.

Unless gone for a long time, I see no need to dispose of old oil. It doesn’t ever rot or anything.

This pretty much applies to everything. You had space for it when it wasn't garbage.

On our cat the aft lockers in each hull are "smelly storage" areas. Oil, jerry cans and garbage bags are kept there, so any smells are downwind from us.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Reputable link? I'd be interested. Otherwise....

I can find you links about if the bottle gets hot as in sunlight etc.
However, haven’t you noticed that plastic smells? Stick you nose in a case of water bottles and tell me you can’t smell the plastic.
So, what is it you think that you are smelling?

Just a quick look, but here is one, and of course it’s not just water, it’s any food in plastic containers, even BPA free plastic.
https://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/13419...like-chemicals
In fact I’d bet that we will find whatever is used to replace BPA may well be worse.
Now that’s an unsubstantiated opinion.

But I would think that anything that has a smell has to be exuding some kind of chemical, or it wouldn’t have a smell, and plastic food containers you have to admit do have a strong odor that diminishes as it ages, which means of course that whatever chemical your smelling has been flashing off and there is less of it in an old piece of plastic.