Avoid waste when camping: coffee, dishwashing liquid or ice cream: we get everything in packaging. Every German citizen produces an average of 1.3 kilograms of waste per day - and it's no different on vacation.
We are declaring war on the mountains of rubbish and in this series we will show you how you can use simple means to save rubbish when camping. The five R's provide orientation: Reduse (avoidance), Repair (repair), Reuse (reuse), Recycle (reuse), Rethink (rethink).
Today: Reduce – Try to reduce waste as much as possible
If you don't create any waste, you save resources and the question of environmentally friendly disposal doesn't even arise. You can rely on packaging-free products. The zero waste movement shows how this works. Zero-waste: means something like “living without waste” and is a movement in which people completely avoid waste. Zero-waste shops are well known and are now available in many cities and even at some campsites. Products such as food, cleaning products and hygiene products can be purchased there without packaging.
Consume consciously
However, reducing does not mean giving up in any way. Rather, the focus is on conscious consumption. You can plan a purchase in one of the zero-waste stores as part of your holiday preparation. You can buy basic foods such as pasta, oatmeal or nuts in advance without packaging and take them with you in your own practical containers.
You can find out where you can shop in Germany without packaging in your home zero-waste shop or on the go here . For Switzerland, this map shows where you can shop without packaging. If you are traveling in Austria, this page will help you.
Packaging: is it necessary?
It's not just food that is often packaged - cleaning products are also usually offered in plastic bottles. Solid cleaners are always more useful than conventional plastic bottles because of their smaller volume. You can get solid dishwashing liquids and all-purpose cleaners here . You can also make your own plastic-free detergent; we have instructions for you at the end of the article.
Tip : You can get packaging-free and local delicacies at local weekly markets, and you can also support local farmers. Fruit and vegetable nets like this one are ideal for vacation and everyday life. This means you don't need to use plastic or paper bags from the supermarkets. Make sure the nets are made from ecological material; there are now many suppliers of these products.
“No grace”
In Italy it is common to receive a bag for shopping at the supermarket checkout or market. Use your own cloth bags and politely reject the disposable bags. That would be another R (Refuse) that we would also like to mention. You can say “no”. Receipts, straws in drinks or flyers. If you avoid these little things, you can save huge mountains of waste.
Long-lasting and stable products accompany us throughout our lives
Single-use products, such as take-away packaging, are usually only used for a few minutes before they end up in the trash. The good news is: they can be easily avoided - you can bring your own bag for the rolls at the kiosk or your own coffee mug for on the go. A good example are drinking bottles made of sturdy stainless steel, which everyone knows today. The PURA drinking surface even grows with your needs and is completely plastic and pollutant-free. You can refill these at any time at the campsite and there is often an opportunity to draw free water along the way.
DIY washing powder: Make your own detergent
You can also easily make washing powder yourself. It can be conveniently filled into small containers and taken with you on vacation. This composition was not invented, our grandparents already washed their laundry with these ingredients - so it is a tried and tested recipe.
What are the advantages of home-made detergent?
Environmentally friendly ingredients: no synthetic chemicals are used.
Plastic-free: you get all the ingredients in a box or without packaging at all
Skin-friendly: without chemicals, this detergent is friendly to your skin
The DIY detergent recipe:
1 part curd soap (or soap flakes)
1.5 parts soda
1.5 parts baking soda
(you can also add scented oils for that certain something)
You can get all of this in the drugstore or in the unpackaged store. Grind the curd soap (if you don't have soap flakes) with a kitchen grater or mixer. Then mix everything together and store it in a tightly fitting container so that it doesn't absorb any moisture. You can add 1 tbsp (tablespoon) of detergent to the detergent compartment per wash cycle. If you have very dirty laundry, it is best to use 2 tbsp.
