Group Trash Volume Calculator

Expect to produce more trash when you’re out there together. Most people don’t realize this, but it’s usualy not the bugs, or the weather, it’s simply the limited amount of room available for garbage. Most cars is jammed with wet coolers, three overflowing bags of trash, and a smelly pile of recycling. Yet still, you has no room.

But why? Because most people plan based off their gear and food intake. Then they figure trash will just have to squeeze into what’s left over. And it usualy doesn’t. The more people in your group, the bigger the increase in trash that results. Two person can handle a single kitchen bag. Four make things different. Your dishes will pile up differently, and so will food prep and leftovers. Adding four friends doesn’t simply multiply your trash by 20%. They alters it. How do you clean? What’s being stored where?

How to Pack Trash for Your Trip

The above calculator does the math for you. It considers who, what, and how many. Volume isn’t static. It depends on how you pack, what you pack, and whether or not you will crush those cans beforehand. Now think about the waste profile of your camping trip: Do you choose ultralight meals? Or do you have a shared kitchen at a basecamp where 30 people bring in disposable plates and paper towels? The former produces very little output, while the latter produce a lot of output over a short period of time (hence why it’s called a “spike”). It’s the distinction between using foam trays versus reusable bowls. To account for that, the tool will adjust the base gallons-per-person-day upward or downward based on your choice.

Be honest; what kind of backpacker are you? Do you get all your snacks from individual packs? Pre-cut fruit? Do you buy in bulk? Bump up the load factor of meal packaging accordingly. It’ll save you an overflow situation on day three.

Dry trash is not the same as wet waste. While a greasy towel, fish trim, and food scraps don’t weigh much, they don’t compress well (at least not neatly) and will result in a messy bag if packed to tight. Also, a stronger seal must be used to prevent leaking and stinky smells. For this reason, the calculator breaks it out. Mixing the lightweight packing materials with heavier, sloshy food debris are not ideal. This way you can buy smaller, stronger liners for your wet waste. Then fill the big bags with dry junk, making most of their space.

Your results will change greatly depending on how much you recycle. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans consumes a large amount of void space if left unseparated in the main trash pile. It won’t hurt if you crush them down some, but separating them completely can reduce total trash volume by as much more than twenty to thirty percent. Soda and beer drinkers especially should note this. Check the reference tables on the page for an idea of how different diversion streams affect capacity. If your campsite has a separate bin for recyclable materials, use it! If you’re forced to carry recyclables out, keep them in a separate heavy duty bag so they don’t accidently tear through your dry waste bags during transport.

Now we look at planning versus reality regarding storage capacity. Perhaps you think forty gallons of trash capacity is sufficient for your trip; maybe you realize you have only thirty gallons in your vehicle. How do you make it work? Do you plan on hauling one bag out at some point during your trip (instead of saving them all for the end)? Are there other tools you could of buy, like a rigid rolling cart instead of flexible bags? Rigid bins holds their shape and stack better, but they don’t compress. But flexible bags tend to burst if you overstuff them. The tool compares your anticipated storage needs with how much storage you have in each bin. If you’re likely to run short, it flags it.

Add some buffer: This one’s for those last-minute additions that happen on every trip. Someone’s bringing more food than expected. Hungry? Extra treats. An item that requires more packing than was originally assumed. A fifteen percent margin will cover any surprises so the plan doesn’t fall apart. Having that extra bag is preferable to digging around inside your packed grocery bags trying to make room for random extras.

When you plan well, what could of been a disastrous situation becomes just another detail in the back of your mind. You emerge from the adventure feeling good about leaving the site clean, clear about what’s in your trunk, and guilt-free about your trash production.