LNT: Dispose of waste properly: Dishes
*After straining food particles, dispose of dish water by dispersing at least 200 ft from springs,
streams, and lakes. Use biodegradable soap 200 ft or more from any water source.
Items you may need:
 4 dish bins if front country / 2 dish bins if backcountry
o Hot water rinse, hot water soap, cool water rinse, cool water bleach
o Hot water soap, cool water bleach
 Strainer
 2 Sponges (or anything to use for scrubbing)
 Biodegradable soap
 Bleach
 Dish hammock or tarp/table/rag for drying
Directions for front country:
1. Strain/scrape food particles and dispose of in trash bag.
2. Boil water for hot water rinse and hot water soap.
a. First bin: hot water.
b. Second bin: hot water and soap.
c. Third bin: cool water.
d. Fourth bin: cool water and bleach (1 capful).
3. Scrub dishes in hot water rinse.
4. Wash in hot soapy water.
5. Cool rinse.
6. Cool bleach.
7. Hang dishes in dish hammock or set out to dry.
8. Strain hot rinse and soap into another bin and broadcast or into a sump.
9. Pour bleach solution into each dish bin after using them.
10. Broadcast bleach solution on durable surface or into a sump.
Directions for backcountry: http://www.backpacker.com/skills-slideshow-how-to-wash-dishes-in-camp/slideshows/94
1. Strain/scrape food particles and dispose of in trash bag.
2. Boil water in large pot.
3. Split this boiled water in half (one pot for washing, one for rinsing)
4. Add soap to one pot and wash dishes.
5. Rinse in second pot.
6. Set dishes out to dry or dry with rag.
7. Strain soapy dishwater into rinse pot and dispose of food particles.
8. Broadcast on durable surface.
-You can get creative when it comes to scrubbing materials (i.e. pinecones work very well for
pasta that is burnt to the bottom of the pot but make sure to throw them in your trash bag
afterward so you don’t disperse food particles). You can use pots and pans as dish bins.
-It is ok to use unpurified water for your cool water dish bins as long as you let the dishes dry
completely before storing away or using them.