Take only photos, leave only footprints. This adage invites us to consider how we affect the natural world when we go exploring in it.
With spring in full blossom we are all eager to head for the trails, beaches and lakes that our region has in abundance. No visit to the great outdoors is without its impact, but how do we ensure we tread lightly?
Litterbugs are not part of the ecology. Remember to carry all your food packaging from snacks that power your trip back home with you. Little ones may need more help remembering this.
Better yet, don’t bring any single-use plastic packaging with you. Instead, wrap snacks in beeswax-infused cotton wraps, or place them in reusable tin or plastic containers.
Once berry season begins, and you feel confident in identifying edible varieties, these can be nibbled on as you meander, leaving behind no waste at all.
Even compostable discards need to be packed out. Tissue, orange peels or food scraps are an eyesore on the landscape, but more importantly can act as an attractant to wildlife, leading to animals associating human activity with food. The notion that these organics will compost may be true in the long term, but outside of a compost pile, these take a long time to fully degrade, leaving litter and animal food in the meantime.
Many outdoor enthusiasts believe in leaving the trail even better than they found it. Sometimes, it would seem that we need to clean up the messes of others in order to do this.
Bringing a bag for litter found while you’re out is a great way to say thank you to Mother Nature for all her beauty. If you find a larger dump site you can safely remove, disposal fees are covered by qathet Regional District. Apply for a disposal voucher prior to dropping off collected waste at Augusta Recyclers by contacting Let’s Talk Trash at [email protected].
Provincial parks and national monuments often ask that we leave behind all the natural wonders we see. There are times when foraging for shells, unique stones or pine cones is incidental in its influence, but others, when taken from nature, can upset a sensitive balance. Use your best judgment, and when in doubt, take photos instead of physical treasures.
If you happen to have a memorable photo taken in or of nature in the qathet region, you are welcomed to submit it for the next cover of the Waste Wise Guide and new Waste Wise App. The new app will improve the way you receive your recycling and garbage reminder calendar, service alerts and notifications, and allow you to use the search tool for where to recycle a wide variety of packaging and products.
Photo submissions will be accepted until 4 pm on Friday, May 13, 2022, and a $100 gift card to the local business of your choice will go to the winning photo. Hit us with your best shot.
Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste reduction education program. For more information, email [email protected] or go to LetsTalkTrash.ca.
