Those who camp does so because they love the great outdoors. We love sitting in the beauty of nature, observing the wildlife, exploring forests, deserts, and swimming in the amazing rivers Australia has to offer.
The downside to camping is it can create an extraordinary amount of unnecessary waste. Meat gets put into plastic zip lock bags, we buy packaged foods because it's easier to store, and buy bottled drinks to fill up the esky. So, to help reduce our footprint while camping we’ve put together some great eco-friendly camping tips for your next adventure (and at home).
Storing Meat
We all do it. We buy a pack of zip lock bags, separate our snags, divide up our mince, and throw it in the freezer. The problem is the plastic from the zip lock bags is going straight into landfill.
Silicone reusable zip lock bags are a fantastic solution to this problem. They come in a variety of sizes to meet your needs and are easy to wash and store. If you're worried about cross contaminating meat and pantry staples or fruit grab some bags that have different colours and choose a food category for each colour.
Our friends over at Us + Earth have an amazing range of high-quality silicone zip lock bags.
Washing Up
We wash our dishes at least three times a day and while it seems like a relatively harmless task it can have a big impact on our immediate environment.
Majority of our supermarket washing up liquids aren’t designed to be dumped straight onto the ground, and our common disposable supermarket dish clothes are made from plastic.
Before your next trip consider an eco-friendly dishwashing liquid like Dr Bronner Biodegradable Cleaning Concentrate. This has to be one of my favourite cleaning products i use all over the house (your grout will thank you for it ;).
Cleaning cloths are also another product that ends up in landfill. There are so many great alternatives out there like microfiber cloths that you can wash and reuse, or plant-based fiber alternatives that are compostable like these beauties at Biome.
Bottled drinks
I love a good fizzy flavoured drink as much as the next person, but they contribute to so much waste. I’m a big advocate for taking your Soda Stream or its equivalent on your camping trip. Yes, it’s not the most compact device to pack in the car, but it also means you only need to pack a few of their reusable bottles to keep on rotation in the esky, and your flavour of choice. They’re such a great device for reducing waste while camping and at home.
Hair Removal
Shaving our legs while camping can be torture to say the least. You need to be ultra-water conservative and let’s face it no one likes standing naked in the bush freezing their ass off while we try shave every nook and cranny.
I’ve found the most AMAZING little device to get rid of unwanted body hair without needing razors, waxing, soap or needing water.
Instantly Nude has developed this magical device that utilises nano crystalline technology to remove your hair and exfoliate at the same time. Let me tell you my legs have NEVER felt this smooth after shaving. Just hold in your hand, apply light pressure, and move it around in a circular motion. THAT’S IT!! Here’s a side by side of my Chewbacca legs after using my Little Nude Friend.
Washing Your Hair
I'm a big lover of Dr Bronner's products and their 4 in 1 soap is great for the face, body, hair and hands (and the environment) on your camping trip! It creates more space by only have to pack one bottle for 4 different uses.
What about conditioner? Leave in conditioners are a perfect solution to help save water and still have silky soft hair camping. I absolutely LOVE my Sukin spray leave in conditioner it does wonders for my long dry curly hair and I don't waste water rinsing out conditioner.
Dry Shampoos are another great way to keep you going on your camping trip and Black Chicken has developed a great eco-friendly dry shampoo that's good for you and better for the environment.
We hope we've inspired you to find some great alternative to make your camping trips a little eco-friendlier. Be sure to share your favourite eco-friendly camping products with us and share our tips with your friends!
