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Acadia National Park
Principle 3: Dispose of Waste Properly

Pack it in, Pack it out

  • Pick up trash wherever you go, even when it’s not yours. 
  • Watch your micro trash (e.g., twist ties, food crumbs, fruit stickers, etc.).
  • Reduce waste before you go. Remove excess packaging, stickers, etc., even for a day hike.

Human Waste

  • Use facilities when available. 
  • When you feel that first sign in your gut, start thinking about where you will go. Practice planned peristalsis.
  • Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, or trails. A trowel makes this job easier.
  • Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products. A double plastic bread bag system works fine. 
  • Urinate on durable rock, gravel, or forest litter, not plants. Urine burns foliage, and wildlife will dig for salts. Get 200 feet from water, camp, or trails to spread impacts. 
  • Step on durable surfaces en route to your business.
 

Can you dig it?

The wide carriage road is lined by the spring foliage of birch trees.  

Did You Know?
Acadia National Park's carriage road system, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr., has been called “the finest example of broken stone roads designed for horse-drawn vehicles still extant in America.” Today, you can hike or bike 45 miles of these scenic carriage roads in the park.

Last Updated: January 26, 2007 at 09:00 EST